The Mistake of a Lifetime
by rightforlife
Summary: One hundred years ago, Yoruichi and Kisuke made a mistake. And that one mistake will shake the worlds foundation. Kisuke/Yoruichi, Ichi/Ruki, Naru? Hiatus
1. Prolouge

**AU once again folks. My favorite. So I had this crazy idea in my head that I couldn't get rid of. This is a Naruto and Bleach Crossover. No Kyuubi being sealed, (but he is in it) no shunning of Naruto, no Urahara and Yoruichi being exiled. It doesn't follow the Bleach timeline in the beginning at all. Ichigo is already a shinigami in this and Isshin is still a captain. This is not a fic about Ichigo...it's about Naruto, Kisuke, and Yoruichi, but mostly Naruto. So I'll see where this fic takes me, but it's different. Pretty different. At least that's what I think. SO yeah, enjoy!**

**Pairings are **

**UraharaxYoruichi**

**IchigoxRukia**

**Narutox? Who should I put with Naruto? suggestions please!**

**More will come later.  
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**Oh yeah and I know that Soi-Fon is really Sui-Feng, but I like Soi-Fon better.**

**Prologue**

One hundred years ago, Uruhara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi made a mistake. Of course we all know who Shihoin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke were. Yoruichi was the captain of the Second Division in the Gotei Juu-San Tai. She was also the leader of the Onmitsukidō. Urahara Kisuke was her third seat, captain of the Detention Unit. The two of them were childhood friends, perhaps even more. But she was nobility, the 22nd head of the Shihoin Clan, one of the four noble clans in Seireitei. Any union between the two of them would have been forbidden.

But they made a mistake. And that mistake was the consequence of one just _one_ drunken night between the two. It went something like this:

**100 years ago: Shihoin Complex, Seireitei. 8:47 PM. Urahara Kisuke's Promotion Party.**

"Kisuke! Congratulations man! I knew you could do it!" The captain of the fifth division, Hirako Shinji exclaimed as he clapped said man on the back. Both men were sitting in the bar.

Kisuke stumbled slightly. "Ah...Arigato, Hirako-san. But it was really all thanks to Yoruichi-san that I'm at this position today."

Shinji grumbled. "How many times do I have to tell you, drop the goddamn "Hirako-san" business and call me Shinji! Formalities suck!"

"Ah, gomen Hirako-san."

"You...bastard."

Urahara Kisuke had just passed his Captain proficiency test and become the newest captain of the 12th division. His best friend, Shihoin Yoruichi had decided that she would throw a large party for him, and invite all of the captains and vice-captains to it. Now they might not have known Kisuke very well, but he was rumored to be a genius among geniuses. Everyone had high aspirations for the man, plus it didn't hurt that he was recommended by the head of the Shihoin clan herself.

Speaking of said purple haired, devastatingly beautiful woman, she was making her way to him at the very moment, much to the dismay of her loyal subordinate Soi-Fon, who had tried to engage her master in conversation. Soi-Fon was heavily against Kisuke's promotion, calling him 'lazy' and 'unworthy of such an honor'. Suffice to say she was effectively shut down when he had passed with flying colors.

Yoruichi reached the bar and took a seat next to her longtime friend.

"Yo, Kisuke. Congratulations man." She said in her classic drawl that never failed to draw shivers from Kisuke.

Before he could say anything though, he was tackled to the ground with tremendous force.

"Nani!" Kisuke yelled. Argh. His head hurt now.

"**Kiiisuuukeee!**" The person who tackled him cried.

"Oi! Baka oyaji get off Kisuke Jii-san right now!" Another, more chibi and feminine sounding voice shouted.

At that moment, Kisuke knew who was on top of him. His long time friend Kurosaki Isshin had arrived...in style.

Yoruichi and Shinji sighed. No matter how old he got, Isshin never changed. One would that getting married and having three children would change you, but noooo, the man had the maturity of a fetus. Except of course when he was fighting. He would miraculously transform from a pathetic person to incredible Shinigami. There was a reason why he was the Captain of the third division. Kisuke and him were like brothers in a sense and Isshin was Kisuke's closest friend after Yoruichi.

Kisuke got to his feet slightly unsteadily and looked at the man who had 'greeted' him so well. Isshin's perpetual smile was plastered on his face. His hair was once again slicked up in that fashion that he liked so much. He was still wearing his captain's haori and shinigami outfit. Kisuke also glanced at the three behind him as well.

Kurosaki Karin-the girl who had told her father off for knocking Kisuke over. She was a fiery tempered one, no doubt getting that from her father. She packed a mean punch as well along with her aptitude for Kido spells. Without a doubt in ten years or so she would make a fine Shinigami.

Kurosaki Yuzu-the level headed one. Her appearance and personality was near identical to that of Masaki's. She was sweet and practical, and most likely the one who held everything together in the family. She was also an excellent healer and was already a candidate for vice-captain under Unohana Restu's fourth division.

And finally Kurosaki Ichigo. The boy was a gift to the shinigami world. He had the reiatsu of a captain when he was just three years old-and that was about a hundred and fifty years ago. He was a natural, even if he didn't admit it. His Zanpaktou-**Tensa Zangetsu** was the complement to his father's-**Engetsu**. It was for that reason that he was the Vice-captain to his father. The legendary father-son pair was known throughout the world.

"Yo Kisuke jii. Congratulations. You've put this off for a long time now you know." Ichigo told his surrogate uncle.

"Maa maa Ichigo. I have no idea what you mean." Kisuke said with his head in the air, refusing to meet the younger man's gaze.

"Ichigo's right, Kisuke. Don't fuck with us. You could have become captain a hundred years ago when Kuchiki Taichou retired. But you were too lazy to do so." Yoruichi deadpanned.

"Um...well...sorry?" He gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Everyone sighed once again.

"Well, there's no point on dwelling in the past is there now? So for those of us who are old enough to drink, let's raise our glasses to the newest captain: Urahara Kisuke!" Shinji yelled. Somehow his voice carried throughout the room and everyone raised their glasses to the man.

Kisuke had a small blush on his pale face. What an adorable guy!

* * *

><p>Three hours later, all the celebrations had ended. The Shihoin complex was in the process of being cleaned by Yoruichi's private army. Sometimes it comes in handy to have ninjas at your disposal right? The last ones to leave were the Kurosaki's and Shinji. This was partially because the two of them (Isshin and Shinji) had gotten drunk and passed out on the floor so they had to be hauled out by a <em>very<em> pissed off Ichigo and Karin.

Now it was just Yoruichi and Kisuke along with Soi-Fon left in the room where the party had been thrown.

"Yoruichi-sama. What are your orders for me?" Soi-Fon asked, getting down on one knee.

"Ah, nani? You're still here? Just rest tonight and report to me tomorrow morning at nine." Yoruichi said. The sake that she had drunk had gotten to her, judging by the sway to her step and the slur to her voice.

"Hai!" And with that, she disappeared.

"Yoruichi-san, I don't think I properly thanked you for this lovely evening. I really don't know how to make it up to you." Kisuke said as humbly as he possibly could while being tipsy, though he was much more sober than Yoruichi. His head was bent low as a sign of gratitude.

"Kisuke. You know that you don't have to thank me for anything. I'm your best friend and you're mine. It's what friends do for each other you know. And also, enough with the stupid formalities. I swear, if you call me "Yoruichi-san" one more time, I'm gonna castrate you Kisuke." She ended her threat with a growl which caused Kisuke to cower in fright. She was drunk right now, and that amplified her rage. He knew first hand what happened when she got angry. The Kuchiki Manor still had the burn marks to prove it. After that, Kuchiki Byakuya learned never to piss Yoruichi off again.

"Hai, hai. Sorry Yoruichi, it's an old habit." He apologized.

She grumbled and turned away. When she spoke again, her voice had lost some of the slur and become softer. "You never change you know. I've known you for 450 years now. Other than the fact that we're now equals, you're still the kid who I used to spend every waking moment with."

Kisuke chuckled. "Yoruichi, you're the head of the Shihoin clan. I'm just the ward that the clan took in. I don't that classifies us as equals."

"BAKA! Who cares that I'm the head of the clan. You're a captain and I'm a captain. Tch. That's what I meant by equals moron. And you're supposed to be the genius." By this time she was pretty much up in his face. Her golden eyes glinted in the dim light. She looked feral, and Kisuke-though loathe to admit it, liked it...a lot.

Kisuke's bangs covered his eyes. "Thanks again, Yoruichi." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek gently. "I think I'll retire for the night."

She blinked a few times before a devious smile that he couldn't see.

Yoruichi linked one of arms through Kisuke's. The action surprised him a bit. "C'mon Kisuke, don't be so shy. Our rooms are only three doors apart. We'll walk together...like the old days. Plus you're a nice person to lean on."

At that comment, he probably never had more color in his face, and it wasn't from the sake either. She was pushing up against him, and feeling her _assets_, which were very well endowed, was making him feel _uncomfortable._

The walk their rooms was done in silence. Yoruichi still held on to his arm in a vice like grip. They abruptly stopped in front of her room.

An awkward silence ensued. They didn't really know what to say to each other. Finally, Kisuke broke it.

"Good night, Yoru-chan." Kisuke said. He really didn't want the night to end. After all, with a beautiful woman hanging off your arm, who would want the night to draw to a close?

"That nickname, you haven't called me that since we were kids." She reminisced. It brought back such nice memories of when they were just Kisuke and Yoruichi, with no one around to tell them what to do.

"Well, I'm sure that the elders of the clan didn't want me to call you that name when you ascended them." He grinned.

She scoffed. "Well those old farts are dead now aren't they, most of them anyway? They were such power hungry fools. Like when they accepted you into the clan, the reason they gave was you were the son of some guy who my father was friends with when they were younger. According to them, it was only proper that you were cared for because any friend of the clan leader was like family. Bullshit. I'm sure that your dad did _not_ want you to end up in this dump. Sure the Urahara family was pretty well known, but the real reason that you were adopted was because you had tremendous talent that they didn't want it to fall in the wrong hands."

Kisuke was silent. He did know the real reason why he became part of the clan, without actually being in it.

_"_Whatever their reasoning, I'm glad that I met you, Yoru-chan." Kisuke said quietly. He leaned into her touch and reveled in her natural warmth.

Now Yoruichi was a strong woman, a _very _strong woman. But when Kisuke said that, all of her barriers came crashing down. It's funny what a single sentence can do.

She had made her decision. It was what they had been denying each other for nearly 350 years.

"Kisuke, stay with me tonight." The words left her mouth before she registered what she actually said.

_"Eh?"_ Was his only logical response. Did she really say what he thought she said? Was she serious?

Yoruichi managed to fight down the enormous blush that was threatening to creep up her neck. New found courage along with a few other emotions blossomed within her. "I meant it, Kisuke. Just this once... please."

Kisuke wasn't sure if this was the sake talking, or if she genuinely wanted him. "Yoru-chan. I don't know what you're asking for, but if I think I know what it is, then you are asking too much from me. I don't know whether or not..." He was cut off by a warm mouth pressed against his own. All coherent thought was effectively lost.

Yoruichi pulled away when she started to feel out of breath. "Kisuke..." she whispered in his ear. It sent shivers down his spine. "Please. Tonight, it's just you and me, not the head of the Shihoin clan and the Twelfth captain. Tonight we're just a man and a woman, keeping one another company. We both want this, _need_ this. It's all I ask of you."

He was in a dilemma. Should he or shouldn't he? Being the genius he was, he weighed the pros and cons inside his head. On the pro side, he would fulfill a life long dream and become one with the one he loved. On the con side, there would be repercussions to face. Like, what would their relationship be now? Would society accept them? And so on.

Kisuke groaned as she nipped playfully at his ear, slowly backing him into her door. She kicked it open and they both stumbled back onto her four poster bed.

Aha. That was Kisuke's answer. Screw the repercussions. You have to live in the present. Take each moment in, don't let it go to waste. So when he was lying flat on his back in _her_ bed, he was ready when she pounced on him. At that moment, she looked like a jungle cat with her purple hair framing her angular feline face. The golden eyes that he loved so much drank in his body.

Yoruichi couldn't believe what she was doing. Just moments ago, she had literally ripped Kisuke's robes off of his body and now she was running her hands over his lean body causing goosebumps to erupt all over him. Those robes that he wore really masked the absolutely _godly_ body that he had. Wow. Just wow. That was all she could say. He had muscles _everywhere, _but not the overly exaggerated ones, they were subtle. How did he hide that under those robes? Oh...now he was pulling off the sleeveless robe that she wore causing her core to heat up. She was naked now, but didn't seem to notice. Kisuke just sat there for a few minutes as Yoruichi pulled his boxers off. They had pictures of cats on them. Weird.

"Yoruichi, are...you sure?" He cursed himself for even asking the question. He had a raging hard on, was naked, and had the most beautiful woman in the world underneath him and he asks her if she was _sure?_

"Baka. I'm the one who initiated this, right? Of course I want it." She chastised him. "Hurry up Kisuke, I've been waiting all of my life for this."

"Sorry darling. But tonight, I intend to take it nice and slow." Kisuke said huskily. He kissed her with all the passion he could muster up and was rewarded by her breathy moan.

And with that. The doors to her chambers slammed shut. Just for one night, the two lovers joined as one entity. And this one night, would reshape the foundation of Seireitei forever.

* * *

><p><strong>Nine months later<strong>

"Push Yoruichi! Come on! I know that you can do it." Unohana Retsu, captain of the fourth division encouraged her long time friend.

Six months ago, Yoruichi had come to her after she had missed two of her periods and constantly vomited after drinking milk. It was then that she knew something was wrong.

Retsu had confirmed that Yoruichi was pregnant, and three months along. When she asked who the father was, Yoruichi had very hesitantly admitted that it was Kisuke.

Retsu was shocked, but never showed it. For years it had been speculated that the Shihoin heir and her loyal companion were more than friends and they were the subject of outrageous rumors. But never had she thought it to be true, till now that is.

When she asked Yoruichi if she would tell Kisuke, Yoruichi had adamantly declined, saying that it would be the best for both of them. His career had just kicked off and she didn't want to jeopardize it with springing a child on him. Plus he would be looked down upon by two of the four noble clans. The Shiba clan wouldn't really care.

Retsu thought that Yoruichi was underestimating Kisuke, but didn't say anything.

For six months, Yoruichi had been in and out of Seireitei, masking her pregnancy until this moment now. The only ones who knew were her, Retsu, and Shiba Kukaku.

"Damn it Retsu! I can't push anymore! IT HURTS TOO DAMN MUCH! IF I KNEW I WOULD GET PREGNANT FROM ONE NIGHT I NEVER WOULD HAVE MADE KISUKE SLEEP WITH ME!"

Oh the things pregnant woman say sometimes. Retsu filed away that bit for the future. You never know when it may come in handy after all.

She was holding on to the bed panels with a very firm grip. So firm that it was causing the metal to bend under her touch.

"Yoruichi, crowning is taking place. Just one more big push!"

"ARGHHHHHHHARGHHHH" Yoruichi panted.

"That's it. Okay, I lied. _Now_ I need one more big push. Hurry and then the pain will be over." Retsu said, her face devoid of emotion even in such a stressful situation.

"Damn you!" Yoruichi growled. "And damn Kisuke to hell and back!"

Yoruichi pushed. She felt as if though she was being ripped apart fiber by fiber. The burn just wouldn't go away. Then all of a sudden, "WHAA!" "WHAAAAAAA!"

Yoruichi let out a hysterical chuckle as she fell back on the bed completely drained.

Retsu gently cleansed the baby with water and cut the umbilical cord. "Congratulations Yourichi, it's a boy." Retsu told her longtime friend softly.

"A boy. I have a baby boy! Please, let me hold him." Yoruichi pleaded. She had done it. She had given birth to a child!

Retsu gently placed the wailing baby into his mother's arms and he quieted down immediately. Yoruichi gasped at the sight of him. He was...beautiful. His tiny head was covered in a shock of blond hair. His skin was tan, but not like Yoruichi's. It was a blend between the two giving him a slightly exotic tint. And were those whisker marks on his face? Hesitantly, Yoruichi touched them lightly. The baby gave off a small purr of contentment. Oh yes, that was definitely the cat side of her coming out in him. Amazing. Slowly, the baby opened his eyes. Blue and gray. That was what she saw. Kisuke's eyes were reflected back at her. Those same piercing eyes that she fell in love with were her baby's eyes now. Those eyes stared back at her with curiosity. "Oh...he's...perfect!" She crooned.

"What are you going to call him?" Retsu asked.

Yoruichi stared into the depths of her son's eyes. The blue and gray meshed together so well. It reminded her of how the sky looked on a stormy day.

The name came to her just like that. "Naruto. His name will be Naruto...the maelstrom."

Unohana Retsu gave off the rare smile she reserved for the most private of moments. "It's perfect for him."

"I know...and I'm so sorry that I have to leave him." Yoruichi admitted sadly.

Retsu stared at her friend wide eyed. "Yoruichi...you can't possibly do that!" She nearly yelled. Her stoic personality was gone.

Said woman gave her a small smile while stroking her son's golden locks. "How can I claim him right now Retsu? I don't give a damn what people would say about me...but they will talk about him. He will be the 'bastard' child. I can't let him go through that. I know that a day will come where the entire world will know his name, and I will be there as his mother and Kisuke as his father. But that day has not arrived yet. Don't worry, I have arranged for him to stay with friends of mine in the real world.

"But you and Kisuke could get married...wouldn't that solve all the problems? You pick who you want as your husband?" Retsu demanded. She didn't want her friend's child to grow up not knowing who his parents were.

"Unfortunately it won't. Trust me, even if most of the clan elders are dead, the ones remaining will oppose any union between Kisuke and myself saying that he doesn't have the same _royal_ lineage as myself. Bullshit. He's the cousin of Kukaku once removed or something like that. Since Kukaku is of the Shiba clan and Kisuke is related to her, I say that more or less qualifies him as royalty." Yoruichi scowled, which made her baby smile a toothless adorable smile at her. Any negative emotions melted in Yoruichi as Naruto raised a chubby hand up to grab one of Yoruichi's damp purple locks.

Retsu may have delivered thousands of babies in her lifetime, but she had never actually_ seen _the bond between mother and child being formed. The two in question were oblivious that their reiatsus were mingling together, creating a near invisible chain binding the two together. No matter where they went, they would be mother and son.

"Yoruichi..." Retsu started seriously. Yoruichi turned to look at Unohana. "You do realize that if he's going to be in the real world, he won't age like they do their. He'll age like we do. Yoruichi, you are 448 years old. For us, one year of aging equates to 7 human years, although our years and their years have the same number of days. Which means that in human years, you are actually 3136 physical years old. This could pose several problems."

"Like I said, I have it all covered. The people that I'm leaving him with, you know them as well." Yoruichi assured her.

This surprised Retsu. "Oh, and who are they?

"Tsumugiya Ururu and Hanakari Jinta."

"Those two!" Retsu gasped. "But they are... I mean they were...dead..."

Yoruichi laughed. "Dead! Ha! That's an excellent joke. No, they've been in the real world for two years now.

"But..weren't they part of...I mean weren't they in Kisuke's command in the Detention Unit?" Retsu asked.

"Yes, but some circumstances forced them to retire to the human world." Yoruichi replied.

"Circumstances...wait...was she pregnant too?"

"BWAHAHAHAHA! No! Absolutely not! Let's just say that they pissed off a couple people in Soul Society and those people wanted them dead. So I, as their captain, faked their deaths and made sure they were securely hidden in the human world. Naruto will be perfectly safe with them. I'd already informed them three months ago that they will be raising my child in secrecy. They are also shinigami, and they know the dangers of the whole aging thing. After all, after like fifty years they only look like they've aged seven years, people will tend to notice."

Retsu still wasn't too sure about the whole thing. "But, Naruto...when will you take him back?"

Yoruichi sighed. "When the time is right, and clan politics will not stop me from claiming my own son and heir to the clan."

"And Kisuke...when will you tell _him_." Retsu pressed on.

"I...I will...soon...I promise."

Retsu wasn't so sure that she would though. She knew how Yoruichi was. Although she had a tough facade on the outside, she was very soft on the inside. Yoruichi would be afraid of how Kisuke would take being a father.

"Delaying it won't stop the inevitable you know." Retsu said softly.

"I know...just...not now okay?" Yoruichi's voice cracked.

"Hai..."

Naruto's renewed wailing drew them both from their thoughts.

"Ara...it looks like Naru-chan's hungry now isn't he? Yoruichi, it's time to feed him now..."

Yoruichi sighed and pulled down her robe to let her gurgling cherub suckle her.

It would be very painful to not see this angelic face for so long.

* * *

><p><strong>Five months later...real world<strong>

"Don't worry Taichou, we will look after him like he was our little brother!" Jinta called out to Yoruichi.

"Taichou. Please visit him often if you can. And with me and Jinta around, nothing will happen to young Naruto-chan. We promise." Ururu added while holding a sleeping Naruto.

Yoruichi had opened the Senkaimon without the watchful eye of Seireitei on her to deliver Naruto to Jinta and Ururu. Kukaku and Retsu were right by her side.

"Please...love him for me...And don't tell him who his parents were. In due time he will find out. " She begged through tearful eyes.

"Taichou! He will be our most important person. Believe it!" Jinta cried. The Senkaimon was closing, and the three inhabitants of Seireitei had to return to Soul Society immediately.

"Yoruichi! Hurry!" Kukaku shouted.

Hurriedly, Yoruichi gave one last kiss to Naruto's forehead and left a pendant around his neck. It was the emblem of the Shihoin clan. "My son, we will meet again soon. This, I promise you."

She reached the Senkaimon just in time and turned to see her two former subordinates waving to her. She took one last glance at Naruto's face before the Senkaimon closed. Tears silently rolled down her face. _I'm so sorry Naruto. Forgive my selfishness._

Jinta and Ururu watched the portal close. At that moment Naruto opened his eyes and stared at the two new people above him. His eyes surprised the ex-shinigami. Blue and gray, what an unusual combination

"Naruto eh?" Jinta said as storm clouds gathered above. "I wonder if you truly can become what your name is. _Maelstrom."_

Naruto grabbed onto one of Jinta's fingers and sucked on it contently. Ururu chuckled. "You will be strong one day, Naruto. Only time will tell how much." The baby's eyes closed once more and he fell into a deep sleep.

Jinta and Ururu walked back quietly to their humble home on the outskirts of a village called Konohagakure.

The Maelstrom was sleeping for now, but one thing was for sure, he was going to be one hell of a shinigami one day.

* * *

><p><strong>One thing I need to clear up:<strong>

**One year in Seireitei is still one year in the real world. It's just that _physically,_ one shinigami year is seven human years. SO basically if you were a baby shinigami and spent seven years in the Human world, it's the equivalent of spending one year in Seireitei aging wise. Either way, going to look the same There are still _365 _days in a year for both sides, it's just that they age differently. **

**How was it? Good, bad, ugly? No flames please, just constructive criticism. **_  
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	2. Start of the Journey

**First chapter of the story...Enjoy**

**This isn't present time yet...it's just detailing some of Naruto and the others lives.  
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* * *

><p><strong>50 years later...<strong>

"Naruto! Where are you. Tch! This kid is just too much! Naruto! It's dinner time and Ururu will get mad if you don't show up on time!" Jinta yelled, scouring the place for his elusive ward/brother.

For the past fifty years, they had lived in seclusion from the outside world, only going out to buy supplies. The three of them had no use for gigais. (partially because Kisuke hadn't invented them yet). The people could see them just fine unless they truly wanted to hide themselves. It was all a matter of masking their reiatsus, Naruto included.

The village that was two miles from their home was known as Konohagakure or Konoha for short. In the past fifty years, it had changed as well. Apparently, it was now a shinobi or ninja village. Before, only a couple hundred people had settled it, coming from some land two hundred miles from here. They called themselves the Senju. The humans had found they had this power called chakra, and if they harnessed it correctly, it would be extremely powerful. Not all the humans could use it though, only those who had unlocked their chakra could. In a way, chakra and reiatsu were similar, but reiatsu combines spiritual and physical energy (kind of) while chakra was only physical.

Naruto had never gone into the village, but he had seen some of the ninja from afar. Some had on green flak jackets with a spiral on the back. No matter what outfit they wore though, all the ninja had on a metal plate with a weird engraving attached to a headband wrapped around some part of their body. Naruto thought it was a defining symbol of some sort.

**"**Ururu! Have you seen Naruto?" Jinta shouted to her.

"Check out back, he might be there!" She yelled back.

Jinta went out to the backyard. It was relatively large, with a decent amount of space for sparring and such. And there, in the left corner, under a Sakura tree sat a small boy who looked no older than seven. His long golden bangs covered his eyes. In his lap was the spirit of a bunny rabbit. Naruto stroked the rabbit's fur as best he could. But it was rather hard when his hand went through the rabbit. However the boy seemed rather content to have the ghost of a rabbit on his lap.

"Naruto! Man, didn't you hear how many times I called you?" Jinta asked the boy in exasperation, walking over to him. He saw the rabbit and inwardly smiled.

Said boy looked up from whatever he was doing. "I did hear you, but I knew you were going to come here anyway so what was the point of leaving before I had to?" His voice was soft, with a hint of playfulness. It was almost identical to Kisuke's.

Jinta sighed. How could he be so lazy and not care? Ah, of course. The answer was because his father was Urahara Kisuke, the laziest Captain in the Gotei Juu-san tai history. "Well anyway, Ururu's got dinner on the table. It's best not to keep her waiting you know?"

Naruto slowly stood up and dusted himself off. The bunny jumped off off of him and disappeared in a flash of particles. Naruto watched the bunny vanish with longing eyes. "Hai, hai. Ururu nee-chan gets very cranky when we're late. Let's go."

Jinta sweatdropped as they walked back into the house. _She gets mad when you're late Naruto, not me. But then again I'm always trying to find you and we both end up being late._

* * *

><p>The kitchen table was set with beef stew and onigiri. An odd combination, but they enjoyed it.<p>

"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you to come to the dinner table ON TIME!" Ururu admonished the boy.

Naruto had the decency to scratch his head and look sheepishly at her. "Ah, gomen gomen. But I was just playing with something and lost track of time you know?"

Ururu's gaze softened. She ladled some stew out for everyone. "Well, eat up. You're a growing boy and need nutritional food."

"I'm not really a boy though right? I mean we celebrated my fiftieth birthday last week." Naruto said taking a bite of stew

Ururu and Jinta glanced at each other. "Yes well, compared to us, you're still a little boy." Jinta told him.

"Yeah yeah. I know." Naruto grumbled.

For a while, all was silent as the three ate peacefully.

"Ne, aniki, nee-chan, I've been thinking about some things. We, the three of us, we're not normal, are we? I mean, we can all see ghosts and things that normal humans can't see. Plus, we have the ability to completely hide ourselves from other people. It's like they think we're invisible or something."

The two in question stopped eating, surprised. Then they sighed. They knew that Naruto would ask this question sooner or later.

"You're right Naruto, we're not. Mind telling me when you came up with this theory." Ururu asked the boy.

"About twenty-five years ago or so."

Jinta gaped at him. "Then why didn't you ask us twenty-five years ago?"

"Um...I didn't want to?" Was the boy's reply.

Both of them facepalmed. "Naruto..."

"So, we aren't normal right? Are we human then?" He asked.

Ururu put down the spoon she was eating with. "Naruto...we should have had this conversation with you a very long time ago. You see, Jinta and I, we are what humans call _Shinigami_. So no, we most certainly are not human. But for our race, we are normal"

Naruto put on his thinking face. He really wasn't surprised that they weren't human. He had seen them do things that no human should be able to do, like walk in mid-air. It freaked him out at first, but it was damn cool. "Shinigami...soul reapers? So your race of people collect the souls of the dead?"

"Exactly. About fifty two or fifty three years ago, we came down to earth from a place called _Seireitei_ because of some _odd_ circumstances. You could say that we were running away from a sure death. You see, we did something that might have pissed off a couple people...so we had to hide in the human world." Jinta said.

"What exactly did you do?" Naruto asked curiously. Jinta and Ururu laughed nervously. "We'll tell you when you're older." They replied.

Naruto nodded and let the issue go. His blue-gray eyes narrowed as he thought a bit more.

"So what exactly am I then?" He finally inquired.

Ururu gazed fondly at the boy she had taken in as her brother. "You, are also a shinigami."

Naruto's head shot up and his eyes widened. "Really? I mean are you sure?" He asked wildly.

Jinta smiled at him. "Oh yes, you definitely are a shinigami. You remember me telling you when you were younger about reiatsu...well it's what all shinigamis and some non shinigamis have. Reiatsu is the spiritual energy that circulates through our bodies. It's why you and I and Ururu can all see ghosts. We have strong reiatsus. In fact, your reiatsu might be stronger than ours." Now Jinta knew that Naruto's reiatsu was huge...but he didn't want to inflate the boy's ego...though said boy had absolutely none. It was mainly because his own pride would come crashing down because of a boy 250 years younger than him.

"Wait, so that means that my parents...whoever they are...they were also shinigami because I was born as one?"

Jinta ruffled his hair. "They are shinigami...some of the best in fact."

"Are...you said that they _are _shinigami...that means that they aren't dead. So...where are they?" Naruto asked. His excitement with this topic was growing exponentially.

Jinta cursed at the slip of his tongue. How could he explain it to the kid. Yoruichi Taichou had explicitly said not to tell Naruto who his parents were yet. He had to find it out on his own. Luckily, Ururu came to his rescue.

Unfortunately, she knew that whatever she said would upset the boy.

"Naruto...fifty years ago, your mother came to us asking if we could take you in. Of course we agreed." She started tentatively.

The boy's face fell. You could almost feel the reiatsu building up in him. The Shihoin medallion around his neck seemed to glow.

Naruto's bangs covered his face. "Why? Why then...did she not want me...why did she leave me in the human world then?" He asked in a small voice. His voice was quivering, and he was on the verge of tears.

"NO! She wanted you so badly! It's just, she couldn't take you as her own!" Ururu yelled.

"But why!" Naruto shouted back. "What happened!" The vase on the table broke.

Jinta and Ururu stared at it in shock. His reiatsu was bursting out of him in small spurts. They had to calm him down.

"Naruto...your mother forbid us from telling you her identity, but you should know this much about her. She is a very important person in Seireitei, you can say that she's nobility. Any child of hers would be put through things that she didn't want you to go through. We're not just saying that because we want you to feel better. It's the absolute truth. If you had lived with her, you would have gone through so much pain, and she didn't want that to happen. She told us that when the time is right, she will claim you as her own. Now most likely that means in the future _you_ will have to travel to Seireitei and find her. The medallion around your neck is her gift to you. We saw her place it there." Ururu said quietly.

Tears ran down the boy's face. He had parents...somewhere. They weren't even from this world. They weren't even human for Kami's sake! Fifty years...for fifty years he had been lied to. He took out the golden pendant with the weird symbol. He had had it as long as he could remember back to. So many thoughts were racing through the kid's head. His mother had wanted him...so what about his dad?

"And my father...what of him?" Naruto asked in a subdued voice. He hadn't calmed down yet, but his reiatsu had.

"Your dad, didn't even know that you existed Naruto. He probably still doesn't know." Jinta said softly.

"What! So my mother never even told him that she was pregnant? But...that doesn't make any sense!" Naruto cried.

"I know, and we all tried to tell her to tell your dad. But she's...stubborn, and refused to do so. She really loves your dad, but is just too scared to say anything." Ururu said. Her heart went out to the boy. It was hard to take this all in, and she couldn't blame him for being frustrated.

There was a long silence. Naruto dried his tears and went back to eating his soup. Jinta and Ururu shot each other nervous glances.

Finally Naruto asked, "My parents, can you give me a hint as to who they are? And can you also explain this _Seireitei_ to me?"

Jinta placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Of course we can. Now while your mother might have told you not to tell you her and your dad's names, we can tell you some things about them. Your father was once your mother's subordinate. I'll explain that later. But he was and still is ridiculously powerful, and ridiculously lazy too." Jinta added as an afterthought.

Naruto grinned. So he had at least taken after his mysterious father in one way. Well, actually both, but he didn't know that yet.

"Your father is considered the smartest man to come out of Seireitei. He's the head of the Resea..." Jinta was cut off by Ururu smacking him on the head.

"OW! What was that for!" He winced at the growing bump on his head.

"That's too much information. With a little digging, Naruto could figure it out easily." Ururu retorted.

"What's wrong with him figuring it out? I mean all Taichou told us was not to tell him their names, nothing more nothing less."

"But still, for now that's enough about _Him_."

"Fine...fine..." Jinta conceded.

"And my mother?" Naruto pressed on. He was very intrigued by the father he never had. A genius, ridiculously strong, and the head of something...

"Ah well...your mother...is more or less the same. She's...help me out here Ururu." Jinta said.

"Your mother is like we said, of nobility. Actually, your father is too, but not like your mom..." All Ururu could think of was her Taichou's feline form. "Um...she's cat-like?"

Naruto looked at Ururu like she was insane. "Really? Cat-like is the best you can come up with nee-chan? Well, I suppose that explains the whisker marks on my cheeks then."

Ururu scowled at him. "Well, she's also really strong...too strong...perhaps stronger than your dad..oh, and her temper...it's terrible. Her speed is what defines her...other than that, if we told you anything else it would give it away."

Naruto sweatdropped at her explanation. Oh joy...his parents were exact opposites. How had they made him?

"How can it give it away when I don't know anything about this Seireitei place?" Naruto muttered under his breath. He pictured his mom and dad. In his mind, his mom was this giant muscled cat thing that would lash out at you with your claws whenever she got mad. His dad was contradicting because they said that he was a genius, lazy, and incredibly strong. So Naruto didn't know whether to picture him with tons of muscles or picture him as a ratty little guy who wore grandmother glasses.

"The final pieces of information that we can give you is that both of your parents are Captains. This narrows it down considerably. Your mom was our captain in fact." Jinta concluded. Ururu rubbed her temples. That was the one piece of information she _didn't_ want Naruto to know. The kid was a genius just like his parents. He'd figure it out.

Naruto processed all the information he had just received through his head. So his parents were captains...whatever that meant. Interesting. Now to learn more about the place where he was born.

"So Seireitei, is it heaven or something?"

"Well no. Seireitei is in the middle of Soul Society. I guess that Soul Society can be considered 'Heaven' or 'Nirvana' of you will. It's where all departed souls go to. Seireitei is called the _Court of Pure Souls_ for a reason. Only Nobility or shinigami live there. The new souls arrive in what we call Rukongai. It's divided into 320 districts, with eighty in each direction. They are numbered based on how far they are from the center-which is Seireitei. So District one would be the best and District eighty could be the slums. Now in Rukongai, you can't get hungry. You can die though, and if you die, then you get reincarnated as a human soul with no previous memories. People who die are rarely reunited with their families so they form new ones. You can even have kids there!" Jinta elaborated.

"Ah, I see now. It sounds terrible there. But that's besides the point. So before, you said both my parents are captains, what exactly did you mean by that Aniki?"

Jinta thought for a moment. "Well, before I explain that to you, you should probably understand the breakdown of Soul Society. Soul Society is ruled by a king, who is known as the Spirit King. No shinigami has ever seen the Spirit King though. He lives in the Royal Palace and is protected by the Royal Guard which only the captains know about. (we found out because we eavesdropped on Taichou once) The Royal Guard is comprised nearly of all ex-captains. They are known as Division Zero. Next we have the Noble Houses. There are four. Your mother is part of one of those four. The lesser Noble clans serve the four. After them comes the Zero Division again. Only the Royal House presides over them. After them comes Central 46. They serve the Shinigami Royalty. It's made up of 40 wise men and 6 judges. They have a set of laws that the shinigami must follow, or they will give out the proper punishment-which is generally death or exile. No ruling of theirs can be overturned. But, they have no say in what the Royal Guard does." He paused for a moment, letting Naruto take it all in.

"So after those people, then the Shinigami come in?" Naruto inquired.

"Yes. They make up the military portion of Soul Society. It is divided into three independent main branches. They are: **The Kido Corps, Gotei Juu-san tai, **and the **Onmitsukido. **The Gotei 13-or the Thirteen Imperial Guards are the captains we were talking about before. They are in charge of different things. For example: The Fourth Division is in charge of the medical care in Seireitei. The Ninth Division is in charge of newspaper related things. The Gotei 13 probably has the most superiority over the other two branches. Not much is known about the other two branches. I can tell you that Tsukabishi Tessai is the Grand Kido Master of Seireitei. They obviously excel in Kido. You remember what Kido is right?" Ururu asked him after her explanation ended.

Kido...kido..."Yes, it's that stuff that you guys do right. Those spell thingys. With the...Hado and...um...Bakudo?" Naruto recalled.

"Yup. The Way of Destruction and the Way of Binding. We'll get you started on those soon." Jinta said enthusiastically with a bit of sadism thrown in for good measure. When you had both Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi as your commanding officers, it was hard not to be a bit sadistic.

Naruto shivered. Ururu didn't seem to notice. She continued on. "The Onmitsukido is the last division. They are known as the Stealth Force or Covert Ops. They are generally commanded by the Noble Family of Shihoin. Remember that."

Naruto put his head down again-it was his thinking pose. Ururu and Jinta shot each other meaningful glances. After all, the boy in front of them would most likely be the next commander of the Onmitsukido. Yoruichi Taichou would kill them if he wasn't trained properly.

"Besides collecting souls, the shinigami do other things too right? I mean they are the military unit after all."

"Yes. They also protect the human world from monsters that are known as Hollows. Hollows are human souls that have not crossed over to Soul Society yet, and they've stayed in the Human World for too long. If a soul is not given a Soul Burial by a shinigami, then they can also become a Hollow. They are corrupt spirits with supernatural powers that devour the souls of both living and deceased Humans. Shinigami fight them from killing innocents. But sometimes, if the hollow is strong enough, it can even kill a shinigami. You'll probably see a Hollow sometime in your life. We've shielded you from the ones that try to come this way." Jinta said as he recalled the fifteen hollows that had come their way over the past 50 years.

Naruto's brain was working overtime. This was too much to take in for him, he was only fifty after all.

"There's more to these...shinigami isn't there? I mean they can't all just fight with Bakudo and Hado. They would be slaughtered." Naruto thought out loud.

Jinta grinned. Oh yes, he had most definitely taken after his father. "Oh, and what makes you say that?" He asked innocently.

Naruto looked directly at Jinta. His eyes danced in the dim light overhead and seemed to flash golden for a second. "Well, from what I remember, Hado and Bakudo take a while to master fully. From what I've seen you do, it seems like most of them need incantations to cast. Now these incantations can be really long. What if a hollow got to you when you're saying an incantation? I mean, you might die. I'm pretty sure that hand to hand combat won't work too well against those things. So shinigami must have something...something to direct their powers through, like a wand or something."

If the two of them were surprised by their brother's thought process, they didn't show it.

"Close, but not quite." Ururu told the boy. "Yes, we shinigami do use devices to harness our power through. You can say that those devices are our souls, or our spiritual power incarnate. They are called Zanpakutos. We know our Zanpakuto spirits like they are our selves. To train with them, we use a method called _Jinzen_ to fully get to know them."

Naruto was a bit befuddled. "You make it seem as though they are alive."

"Because they are." Jinta told him.

Naruto's eyes were wide open. "How is that possible though?"

Jinta chuckled. "Naruto, your Zanpakuto is a part of you, you are alive right? Then why isn't your sword?"

Naruto saw the logic behind this. It was still hard to believe though. "So when you and your zanpakuto fight, it's like your partners?"

"Precisely. Naruto, would you like to see a Zanpakuto?" Ururu asked him.

"Seriously...I mean is..would it be alright?" He asked eagerly.

Ururu smiled at his enthusiasm. "Of course it's alright. Just give me a moment." She closed her eyes in concentration. Her and Jinta had asked Yoruichi to cast a spell to keep their swords locked up so as to not cause suspicion. Releasing the spell meant releasing a lot of reiatsu.

Naruto watched fascinated as Ururu reiatsu spiraled around her. Her normal clothes were changing into some kind of black robe. At her hip, a sheath formed along with a sword.

Ururu watched Naruto's face with amusement. "This Naruto, is my true form. When I am in this form, only those with a high amount of reiatsu can see me.

"Wow! That's amazing. So this is what a shinigami looks like." He examined Ururu from every angle.

"Ururu, take out your Zanpakuto now." Jinta told her.

"Hai." Slowly, she drew a blade from the sheath. It looked like a normal Katana. The blade was about three feet long and a gray/black color. The hilt was crimson. There was nothing special about it.

Ururu saw Naruto's dissapointed expression. "Naruto, a zanpakuto has three forms. Its neutral state, its _shikai_ state, and finally its _bankai_ state. This is my sword's neutral state. Now, i've only achieved shikai. To achieve bankai, it takes tremendous talent and time. All captain's have to have a shikai and bankai. A sword is usually in its neutral form. There are a couple exceptions such as Kurosaki Ichigo and Zaraki Kenpachi. Ichigo-san's zanpakuto is always in it's shikai form. He is a vice-captain. Kenpachi-san is a whole different story. He has no bankai or shikai. He hasn't even learned his sword's name yet. Kenpachi-san is the captain of the 11th division. The reason why he is a captain is because he has immense powers. His sword is always in its final form."

She saw comprehension dawn on Naruto's face. "So, can you show me your shikai state?" He asked.

"Sure, why not. Now watch carefully. Each zanpakuto awakens into its shikai state differently."

Naruto's eyes were glued onto the sword.

"**Kagayaku, Mikazuki**" (Shine, Crescent Moon) The blade shimmered, and the area surrounding it vibrated. Naruto watched in fascination as the blade changed into it's namesake. The hilt changed the same, but the blade curved inward to create a hook like shape. The tip glinted in the moonlight. It was beautiful

"So, what do you think?"

"SUGOI nee-san! That's amazing!" Naruto yelled. He tried to touch the blade, but it snapped away from him.

"Why'd it do that?"

"Not 'it' Naruto, she. My blade is a she. And she doesn't like being touched by anyone but me. We weren't lying when we said that Zanpakutos had a mind of their own. The efficiency to use the blade depends on the connection between the wielder and the sword. The more in sync you are with each other, the more power the blade exerts. So remember, never insult your Zanpakuto, other wise he/she won't be there when you need them to be." Ururu told him.

Naruto looked abashed and mentally tucked that information into the back of his mind. "So, when can I get mine?"

Ururu and Jinta burst into laughter. "When the time is right Naruto, when the time is right."

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. "Fine!" He huffed. At that moment he looked so childlike. After a few moments, he also burst into laughter. It felt nice. Naruto was usually a boy who kept his emotions to himself. No one really ever knew what he was thinking because he was so guarded.

His laughter stopped abruptly. "Nee-san, nii-san," He began seriously. They looked at him expectantly. "Whoever my parents are, I promise, one day I will find them, and then the five of us will live together as a family. I'm going to make them proud of me and become a shinigami. One day, we will all fight together." His eyes took on a hard edge of determination.

The two older shinigami stared at the boy in front of them. "Naruto...the five of us...?" Jinta trailed off.

"Well yeah. I mean I've known since day one that you're not my real brother and sister. Our hair coloring is all wrong for one thing. But no matter what's happened in the past fifty years, you've always been there for me like a real brother and sister. SO as far as I'm concerned, you _are_ family. The both of you were trusted enough by my mother that she left me with you. You said that she was your captain, and at one point, my dad was my mom's subordinate. That means that you're acquainted with him too. So I _know_ that a time will come where we will all live together...as a family." He said resolutely. His eyes glinted that weird mix between gray and golden again.

Jinta and Ururu were speechless. What else would they be? Ururu stood up and moved towards Naruto. She embraced him with all of the emotion she could muster. "Naruto...thank you. That's all I can say." She had tears in her eyes.

Naruto grinned sheepishly and petted her head awkwardly. "Hey, family sticks together after all."

Jinta, who had just stood there grabbed both Ururu and Naruto in a bear hug and twirled them around.

If anyone would have seen them right now, they would have said that this was a true family.

* * *

><p><strong>Soul Society: The same time<strong>

"It's been fifty years, Yoruichi...you still haven't told him yet." Retsu scolded her friend.

The three of them, Yoruichi, Kukaku and Retsu were in the Shihoin complex late on Saturday evening, enjoying their lazy time.

"I know Retsu...I...I just don't know how to approach him on this subject at all. I mean, you try explaining to your best friend that the one night you had together fifty-one years ago produced a child that I had to give up just so he would be protected from those in Soul Society." Yoruichi growled at her.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had just told him right there and then Yoru...and you know this!" Kukaku shouted at her long time friend. "You can't keep this a secret much longer. You have a SON in the real world...an heir to your clan!"

"AND THAT'S THE EXACT REASON WHY I HAVE TO KEEP IT A SECRET DAMN IT!" Yoruichi's temper got the better of her. She stood up, knocking over a cup of sake, not that she noticed. "Tell me, what would they do if they found out that I had an illegitimate son?" She asked, her voice softer now.

Kukaku and Retsu thought for a moment. "They would use my own son against me. They would make him do _things-_send him out on suicide missions, saying that I would be in danger if he didn't." Yoruichi said in a whisper when the other two couldn't think of anything.

Her friends' eyes widened. "They...wouldn't..." Retsu started, but Kukaku cut her off.

"'The blood of the Shihoin would be tainted with the blood of those of lesser nobility', they would say." Youruichi stated with a mirthless laugh. "My own _son..._and Kisuke's."

"But those bastards are dead...the elders that is." Kukaku argued.

"Not the important ones though." Yoruichi retorted. "They still make my life hell today...telling me to marry a Kuchiki or someone like that. Hell, did you know that they had almost arranged my marriage to Kaien?"

Kukaku choked on the oolong tea she was sipping. Then she burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh! That would have been great! Having you as my sister in-law!" She then put on a serious thinking face. "But then again...you and him would have made a terrible match. He's too much like you...Nope, you two are the brother-sister type." She concluded.

Yoruichi gave her a funny look. "Yeah, and that's why I refused the marriage." Her tone softened again. "There will only be one person for me in the world...and that's Kisuke."

Retsu smirked, and it looked very out of place on her neutral face. "Then tell him that. Listen, it's fine if you keep Naruto a secret from Soul Society, but don't keep it a secret from Kisuke. No matter what problems you'll eventually face in the future, tell him _everything_. Starting with Naruto. He's powerful, more powerful than you give him credit for. He can easily overcome whatever is thrown his way. If you love him...then have that much faith in him."

Retsu watched as her friend was silent for several minutes. The emotions that were so well hidden from the outside world were spread all over her face right now. She knew that Yoruichi was having an internal battle with herself. Should she or shouldn't she? That was the question.

After much contemplation, Yoruichi gave her friend her typical half grin. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad telling Kisuke. He deserved to know about their son more than any other person in this world.

And then there was Naruto...her son.

For the past fifty years, she had observed the boy as carefully as she could. She would visit when she was sure that he was not awake and just sit there talking with Jinta and Ururu. Just last week, she had discretely gone down to the human world and given her boy a big kiss on the forehead while he was sleeping. He was handsome, and looked almost exactly like Kisuke. Even if Kisuke didn't know he had a son, the second he laid eyes on Naruto he would know who the boy was to him...and who the mother was too. It was now or never. Kisuke _would be told. _No exceptions.

"Yosh! I've decided. Tonight, I will tell him everything. No matter what the consequences are, he has to know. I don't care if he doesn't love me, or if he's lost all faith in me. It just has to be done!" Yoruichi exclaimed.

Both the other occupants in the room chuckled. Well, it had only taken her fifty years to get this far. Now the next step would be reunite the happy family. But, judging by the way things went until this point, it would probably take another fifty years till that happened.

Kukaku put down her tea and stood up. "Well then Yoru, I sincerely wish you the best of luck."

Yoruichi smiled when Kukaku put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Retsu also gently patted Yoruichi's hand, and then exited the room.

"Yoru." Kukaku said.

"Nani?"

"Just a word of caution. Kisuke is one to never let true emotion play out on his face, but this one time, he might. All I want you to do...is let him vent...because trust me...he will. He's family Yoru,...and so are you. So please, be honest with him." Kukaku sighed and ran a hand through her raven hair.

Yoruichi studied her for some time before finally saying, "I know. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have. I promise."

"That's all I wanted to know." With a last glance at Yoruichi, Kukaku left the room, leaving Yoruichi all alone.

When she felt Kukaku's reiatsu completely vanish from her complex, she flopped down on her bed, seemingly exhausted. How would she actually break the news to him?

Seduce him and then tell him? Look where that got her last time...

"Kisuke, when we had that one night 51 years ago, I had a son...and he's yours..." That was most likely the corniest thing she had heard in her entire life.

"Kisuke...we have a son who I had to send to the human world to live with two of our former supposedly dead subordinates." Yes, that might work.

Ah fuck it. She would improvise, it was what she did best after all.

With that mentality in mind, she got up off of her bed and stomped out the door to find the father of her child.

* * *

><p>Urahara Kisuke was not having a good day. He had been bombarded with paperwork from his Vice-Captain Hiyori. If it was one thing he hated in his life, it was paperwork. It didn't help that Mayuri had intentionally blown up two of his research labs in the past week simply because he was bored. Maybe he should have kept the man (was he even a man?) locked up.<p>

Now seeing how he was so down, two of his good friends Kyoraku Shinsui and Ukitake Juushiro had taken him out to enjoy a nice evening in the best bar in Soul Society. Indeed, the White Lotus had been serving customers since its conception about seven hundred years ago. In fact, it was Yamamoto himself who had recommended the bar to them. The White Lotus was located in the third district of Rukongai, but that didn't deter captains like Byakuya or Yoruichi, both of whom were from Noble clans from frequenting it.

"Oi Kisuke! C'mon man! Live a little...look alive!" Shinsui said in his easy going voice that was slightly slurred now.

Ukitake clapped him on the back. "You only had two cups of sake? Kisuke, everyone knows that out of all the captains, it's you who can hold liquor down the best. Here, have some more!" He exclaimed pouring himself and Kisuke a cup more.

Kisuke sighed. Why had he let them talk him into this? He really didn't understand himself. This wasn't really making him feel any better.

The bartender(who was new) looked at the man in pity. He looked like he needed some _fun._ "Hey, Taichou-san. There are some _really_ nice people out back that you might want to meet, you know...it's all to have fun." The teasing tone in the bartender's voice did not go unnoticed by Kisuke. Huh, so even respectable bars like this one had _that_ side to them.

"No thanks sir. I've got a pretty nice person waiting back for me at home." Kisuke replied in a playful voice.

"Suit yourself sir." The bartender said, moving to the next customers.

"Kiisuukee, you should have taken that nice offer. Just let it all out sometimes!" Shinsui boomed. Where was Nanao-chan when you needed her?

Ukitake had some more common sense. "Now now Shinsui, Kisuke isn't that type of man. He's more of the one-woman kind of person...right?"

Said man's face heated up a bit, not that you could tell though. Of course he was a one woman man. It's just that the woman had to become his first.

Shinsui scoffed. "Juushiro...for Kisuke to be a one woman man he would have had to have been with a woman first!"

"I'm sure he has Shinsui. We don't tell anyone about our personal lives you know." Ukitake reasoned.

This was getting a bit uncomfortable. Kisuke was sandwiched between two semi drunk/drunk men who were still discussing his sex life in the middle of a prominent bar where tons of people came. They were highly respected captains, these three, and unnecessary rumors were not in their best interest. Kisuke would have to stop their nonsense, and fast. Thankfully, luck seemed to be on his side just for one minute.

"Ah Kisuke, so this is where you were. I've been looking for you." A voice directly behind them said.

_Praise the lords. _Kisuke thought.

The other two captains swiveled around to see the captain of the second division standing with her hands crossed under her ample chest, staring at them intently. Her purple hair contrasted drastically with the simple white dress she was wearing.

"Yoruichi-san, what a pleasant surprise!" Kisuke smiled. She looked breathtaking, according to him.

She smirked at him. "Cut the formalities Kisuke, you know I hate them. Come with me, there's something important that I need to talk to you about."

He sighed. "Well, there's no use in arguing with you now, so shall we?"

She shot a devastating grin at him that caused his face to heat up more.

Kisuke stood up and held out his arm for her. She linked it with his and they set off.

He couldn't help but notice how all the male, and some female eyes never left Yoruichi's figure. Kisuke felt a pang of jealousy run through him. He couldn't stop those glances...or the cat calls. After all, he wasn't anything more to her than her best friend. He had no claim over her.

The bartender whistled. "He wasn't lying when he said he had a pretty nice person waiting for him at home. In fact, that's a damn fine person...well her backside that is...!"

"That...is the captain for the second division." Juushiro deadpanned. The bartender paled. IF one thing was known about Shihoin Yoruichi, it was that she would annihilate anyone who said one comment about her figure.

"Ne, Shinsui...you don't thing that Kisuke and Yoruichi...?"

"I don't know, Juushiro...they've been together for so long that it's certainly possible. There's a reason that Kisuke is so secretive, and this might be it."

* * *

><p>Yoruichi led Kisuke back to <em>their<em> complex.

They sat together in Kisuke's room.

"Okay Yoruichi, what did you want to talk to me about?" Kisuke asked as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.

Said woman fidgeted on the sofa slightly. How was she going to tell him again? Ah yes, improvise. Well that didn't really seem to be working very well. Apprehension filled her gut. This wasn't exactly something that one discusses in a friendly conversation.

"Kisuke...I have something very important to tell you. After this, you most likely will be extremely upset with me, but please do not judge me too harshly."

Kisuke's mind raced. What could she have done to make _him,_ the man who practically worshiped her, judge her?

She took a couple deep steadying breaths and looked at his face. Well that certainly didn't help. His expression was that of concern, _for her._ Just looking at his face was enough to send butterflies to her stomach.

Abruptly, she stood up and started pacing around the large room. Sitting next to him was going to be a problem. "Kisuke..."

He looked at her expectantly.

"Do you remember what happened fifty-one years ago?" She asked hesitantly.

His face fell. So that's what she wanted to talk about. But why? Why fifty-one years after the deed had been done was she confronting him about it? It wasn't like she had been taken advantage of or something. Slowly, he gave a nod of confirmation

She saw those damn bangs of his covering his stormy eyes. Her heart clenched. Of course he remembered what had happened. They were both active participants. She knew all too well that he thought she was going to tell him how much she regretted that night.

"Kisuke, look at me please. If you think that I called you here to tell you how much of a mistake that night was, then you are sorely mistaken." Yoruichi waited for a reaction from him.

His head was still down, but his shoulders visibly lifted a couple inches or so. She let out a sigh of relief.

"You were the first man I was ever with Kisuke, you _still are_ the only man I've ever been with. To me, that's special."

Kisuke's heart nearly lept out of his chest. Storm met sunlight. The look in her eyes confirmed she wasn't lying.

"Yoruichi...I..."

"Wait Kisuke, let me finish." She cut him off. It was now or never...that do or die moment. "I became pregnant." Yoruichi finished.

Kisuke choked on his own spit. Out of all the things that his mind had conjured, that was definitely _not_ one of them. "Pregnant! With m..m..my child?" He spluttered.

"Hai." Was her short reply. She would wait for him to ask about what had happened to his child.

Kisuke's world was in turmoil. So many emotions were running through him at lightning speed. He didn't know what to think. Yoruichi had gotten pregnant...with his child! It was unbelievable. But then...the child...

He was silent for a very long time. This was huge news. No, this was beyond huge news. Finally he spoke. "So you were pregnant, eh? And the child...?"

His unasked question was all too clear to Yoruichi. _Where is the kid now?_

This was the hardest part. "This is where I ask you not to judge me." Yoruichi murmered loud enough for him to hear.

His eyes widened. She hadn't...had she?

"I...I had to give him up. Not abort him, if that's what your thinking. I had to abandon him." Her voice cracked as a solitary tear sled down her tanned cheek.

Kisuke face contorted. His reiatsu flared around him in giant whirlpools. It wasn't enough to alert anyone, but it was enough to crack some of the mirrors in his room. Yoruichi knew better than to try to snap him out of it. Kukaku had said that he would vent his feelings, and this was part of his venting.

His head was in his hand's now. Turmoil wasn't the word to describe his emotions. A much stronger word was needed. So many feelings were welling up inside of him. Even though he was a genius, he wondered if it was possible to be feeling rage and overwhelming joy at the same time. He needed, no he _deserved_ to know about his son. What was his name? What was he like? Was he safe? Did he live nicely? Was he loved? All of those questions and no answers as of yet. And then there came the matter of Yoruichi. For fifty god-damning years she had kept _their_ son a secret from him. He loved her so much, perhaps more than she deserved.

Tears formed in his eyes. A shard of glass went flying past his face and embedded itself into the wall behind him. But Kisuke didn't notice. Hell, a meteor could have hit Soul Society and he wouldn't have noticed.

"His name...tell me his name." He finally croaked out, lifting his face up to hers.

Yoruichi felt like crying when she saw his angst-ridden face. But she had to be strong here.

"Naruto...his name is Naruto."

Kisuke's pained face took on an incredulous expression. "Fishcake? You named our son _fishcake?_" What kind of a name was that?

"No! His name does _not _mean fishcake. His eyes, they're exactly like yours-that weird mix between gray and blue. The second I looked into his eyes, it was like I was looking at a storm. And at that moment I _knew_. That child would be the _Maelstrom_ that would change the world." She replied heatedly. She marveled at how right it had sounded when Kisuke had said _our son._ It was meant to be.

Kisuke allowed his eyes to soften and a wry grin spread on his face. At least he knew that Yoruichi had loved their son before she gave him up. But that didn't excuse the fact that she had kept possibly the biggest detail of their lives hidden from him for fifty years. Even if they lived for an insane amount of time, it was too long for him. He needed answers _now._

Yoruichi watched as his eyes hardened and his body tensed.

He abruptly stood up and walked towards her slowly, carelessly glancing at the cracked mirrors.

He was now so close to her that she felt his hot breath on her face. But still she stood her ground, not letting his imposing figure frighten her. She refused to meet his gaze, for if she did Yoruichi was certain all of her guards would fall, just as they had fifty-one years ago.

Kisuke stared at the woman impassively. Roughly, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her until finally, her eyes met his once again.

"You will tell me everything, starting with where he is right now and if he's safe." He hissed harshly.

He saw her swallow and took some grim satisfaction from the fact that it was now him who was making her nervous, and not the other way around. Kisuke had never been harsh with her, and it was very different for her.

She sighed. Truthfully, she had expected for Kisuke to slap her or something. It was what she deserved, and worse.

"I promise. From now on, I won't tell you anymore lies."

He snorted. "Like I'll really believe that. You told me that three hundred years ago as well. Look how well that worked out."

"Do you want me to tell you about Naruto or not?" She retorted. A blush had rose up in her cheeks. She couldn't deny the truth in Kisuke's words.

He made his way back to his bed and flopped down on it. He sat up and patted the ample space next to me.

She looked at him, surprised.

"It's you. I can never stay mad at you for long. You should know that. We're connected now, in more ways than one. Having a child together is the ultimate act. So just come here and tell me about him." He responded.

After some afterthought, she made her way to the bed and sat next to him. "Well, you should know that I gave him to Ururu and Jinta..."

* * *

><p>An hour or so had passed and Kisuke learned everything there was to know about the boy named Naruto. Apparently, he was almost exactly like Kisuke down to his looks. Naruto was a very skilled and smart boy. So that meant that he had inherited the Urahara genes in the intellectual department. He had these whisker marks on his cheeks that instantly defined him. At first, he was incredibly surprised to find out that Jinta and Ururu were still alive. But then she explained to him about what had happened to them and why they were in the human world. According to Yoruichi, Naruto knew about reiatsu and other aspects of his existence, but he hadn't truly understood his own being yet. Jinta had promised that the second Naruto knew about everything, he would be trained properly.<p>

All that mattered to Kisuke was that Naruto was completely taken care of. Yoruichi had explained to him on why she couldn't claim Naruto. Kisuke understood the severity behind this and hadn't asked her too much about it. But soon, there would come a time where Naruto would come back to Soul Society and problems would surely arise. They had to be completely ready for that day.

The two of them had settled their differences by now. It was really only Kisuke doing the settling though. He was really only mad at her because she had waited fifty years to tell him about this. They were laying down side by side in his bed.

"Yoruichi..." Kisuke murmured sleepily. It was late after all.

"Nani, Kisuke?" She asked, turning over to face him.

"Where does this leave us?" His tone was prodding and curious.

His sudden question startled her. She propped herself up on her elbow to take a good look at his face. His infamous bangs covered his eyes like they did very so often.

"What do you mean by that? We're still us." She replied.

He too adjusted himself to look at her. "What I mean is that, we had a child together. We were each others firsts and we haven't been with anyone else since. I think that's the definition of marriage right that."

She looked at him with shock etched into her exotic features. "Are...are...are you proposing marriage?"

Kisuke turned a wonderful crimson. He scratched his cheek with a goofy expression on his face. "I'm not too sure. When Naruto comes home one day, doesn't he want a family with two parents and a stable home?"

Yoruichi thought about that for some time. "We can give him that without marriage as well though. But I think I can see your point. We don't want him to think that he was a bastard or something."

"That's a rather harsh way to put it." Kisuke fidgeted on his bed. "Marriage might be in our best interest though. Your people can't do anything to him if we're married, right?"

Yoruichi pondered this for a while. "Perhaps that would be the eventual step, however at the moment there are a few members of my clan who would be opposed to this marriage in every way shape and form. I told this to Retsu so long ago. Should we get married, they would say that the blood of my clan is tainted with the blood of a lesser nobility."

"And how long ago did you tell her this?" He inquired.

"Fifty years back."

"Then think logically, in fifty years, a lot could have changed. I know for a fact that one more elder died about twenty years back or so."

"Be that as it may, the remaining elders have been pressuring me to get married, even going so far as to propose matches for me."

He sucked in a breath. "No! You can't...please don't accept these proposals. I...we...Naruto needs a stable home when he returns. If you get married...You just can't!" He exclaimed forcefuly.

Her demeanor softened slightly. She reached over to caress his stuble laden cheek. "I know Kisuke. I've rejected every proposal that they've thrown at me. There is no alternative to a father. I'll never replace you. Ever." She turned over, away from him. Within seconds, her eyelids drooped at she fell into the best sleep she had had in a very long time.

His breath hitched at the suggestion of what she was saying. He smiled softly at her now still figure. Yoruichi was asleep. It still amazed him at how she could just curl up and doze off at any moment. Kisuke dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Just don't leave in the morning like you did last time." He whispered in her ear. And with that, he too fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in his chambers, Yamamoto Genryusai paced back and forth. <em>Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi. <em>Fifty-oneyears ago, he had sensed a very potent reiatsu growing inside of the woman. He had lived long enough to realize who's child it was. Two of his strongest captains had created a child and then given that child away to the human world. He wouldn't punish them. Though loathe to admit it, those two were very near his own level. Any child of theirs would be an absolute powerhouse. There was no doubt about that. Yamamoto had seen the opening of the Senkaimon fifty years ago. He had deduced what had transpired and kept his mouth shut, eager to see how this would play out. Yamamoto had discretely protected the area where the boy was living from hollows and such. The hollows would be attracted to the boy's reiatsu and try to harm him. The boy, aptly named Naruto was a very humble and kind boy. Though under that gentle demeanor, Yamamoto knew there lay dormant power. His reiatsu was already so high that it could match any captain's.

_Urahara-Shihoin Naruto. I wonder if you truly will become your namesake and shake our world to the core. _


	3. Meetings

**Wow...so when I started this...I had no idea that it would be so popular! But thanks a lot! Enjoy the third chapter...**

**Right, so pairings for Naruto, I've gotten a few suggestions. I want to keep the parings from the Bleach Realm only because he's going to spend most of his time there. He will cross paths with the Konoha rookies at some point, but no pairings with the humans. And no harem either.**

**So vote: these are the suggestions that people gave me. (To the reviewer who gave me Naru/Karin, it would be awesome, but I'm sticking with bleach only)  
><strong>

**Naru/Momo**

**Naru/Nemu**

**Naru/Senna**

**Naru/Nel**

**Naru/Rangiku**

**A/N-Don't own a damn thing except Ururu and Jinta's Zanpakuto...and probably Naruto's too...  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Twenty nine years later...<strong>

Twenty nine years had passed since Naruto had learned that he was a shinigami and that he still had parents out there somewhere. If you actually think that he had let them off the hook for abandoning him, you my friends, are quite mistaken. It's quite the opposite in fact. Naruto had thrown a silent tantrum after his talk with Ururu and Jinta. It was silent though, so no one heard it. He didn't resent his parents, yet he was going to give them a piece of his mind when he saw them...especially his mother.

Twenty nine years had passed since Kisuke learned he had a son. He too, had held a grudge against Yoruichi for not telling him about their son despite what he said earlier. In twenty nine years, much had changed. Naruto looked to be about ten or eleven years old. His bangs had grown and they covered his eyes even more. If anyone from Soul Society were to see him, they would swear that a young Urahara Kisuke was roaming around the human world.

Speaking of Kisuke, he hadn't changed at all. He was still the lazy, carefree, goofy captain of the Twelfth Division. The only real way he had changed is that he had adopted the mentality of a father-mainly towards Hiyori who was not pleased about it in the least. He claimed it was practice for another blonde when he came home. Needless to say, Yoruichi found it most amusing. Hers and Kisuke's relationship had stayed the same as well. They both were sure of her feelings, however never would admit them to each other. The 'couple' had also made a pact to marry before Naruto came home again. It would be done in secret, but it would assure Naruto's safety. She had taken Kisuke to the human world once or twice to see Naruto from afar. It had brought tears to his eyes to see the little man that he had helped create. They had only been there for three minutes, but it was more than enough for him. Kisuke even swore that Naruto had turned to the place where they had been hiding as if trying to see something that was not visible. But luckily for them, Ururu and Jinta had turned the boy away before he could go and investigate. Jinta had given them both a tip of his head as a sign of respect.

Naruto still hadn't come up with the names of his parents yet partially because Jinta and Ururu had refused to give him the names of all the captains. Naruto was certain that it would be obvious as to who they were when the second he saw them. He was training furiously with _hado and bakudo_ spells. So far he could do the low level spells without the incantation. He had mastered the higher level ones, however he needed the incantation along with it. Along with spells, he was working on his hand to hand combat or _hakuda_. Apparently his mother had been an expert in that field.

Today, Naruto was going into the village. He wanted to study the way humans used this thing called _taijutsu_. It was a skill that utilized hand to hand combat and different forms. It may be able to help him in his roadblock with combat. It would not have been the first time Naruto had gone into Konoha. He went there for the first time some ten years ago to buy supplies when both Ururu and Jinta had contracted some weird illness.

Naruto had found that humans and shinigami were not all that different. The only defining factor between them was the power and aging differences. No human could have the power of a captain class Shinigami. The only man to come close would probably have been this fabled **Rikudo Sennin** who supposedly discovered the power known as chakra.

Furthermore, the average human only lived for sixty five years or so. A ninja's life expectancy was less than half of that. Naruto was older than sixty five by about fourteen years or so and he still only looked ten. He didn't frequent the village too often, otherwise it might draw attention to himself. He knew for a fact that the leader if the village was getting a bit suspicious of Jinta and Ururu. The leader, called the Hokage made it a point to find out who these mysterious people were, but the trio disguised themselves very well. Now it was Naruto doing most of the shopping.

* * *

><p>Naruto walked into the village with relative ease. Jinta had told him to do the grocery shopping because he had the nagging feeling that they would be stopped if they went to the village. The guards at the gate had stopped Naruto, but he had shown them his residential notifications indicating that he lived in Konoha territory. Ururu had asked him to bring some rice, beef, vegetables, oolong tea, smelling salts, bath soaps, and many other essential items for their living.<p>

A couple of ghosts in the village followed him as he went from store to store. But Naruto didn't mind. After all, you tend to get used to see through spirits following you around after seventy three years of life. One spirit was that of a young boy. He looked to be around twelve year year old boy. He had spiky brown hair and wore one of those weird metal plate things on his forehead. He was garbed in a grey turtle neck thing. The other man looked somewhat like the boy. He had long raven hair that was tied in a ponytail. He too was wearing a metal plate around his forehead. He wore a red vest/armor over a black undershirt. He looked very authoritative and commanding. If Naruto had to guess, the older man was some kind of leading figure in the village.

It seemed that where ever he went, the ghosts instinctively knew that he would be able to see them and they stuck to him like glue. Indeed, as he was buying some oolong tea, the older man leaned over his shoulder to see what he was buying. "Don't take that one, the taste is too bitter for the tastes of some. You should take the one next to it. It's less expensive, and much better tasting."

Naruto nodded and quickly changed his order. He couldn't thank the ghost out loud because then he would look insane in front of the other people, and he did not want to draw more attention to himself.

In an hour, he finished all of his shopping. His arms were laden with grocery bags, but it didn't bother him too much. Thanks to the torturous training that Ururu had put him through, his physical strength had grown tremendously. Who knew that the generally timid woman was such a monster in physical strength. Her kick was powerful enough to shatter five boulders at once. He didn't know why Jinta harassed her so much when she could probably break every bone in his body with a flick of her fingers.

* * *

><p>Naruto decided to rest in a secluded grove for a bit. The two ghosts were still with him. They sat on boulders while Naruto sat in the shade between two trees.<p>

"So, mind telling me what you're doing here?" Naruto asked in his classic lazy drawl.

The older man gave off a soft smile. "We think that you can help us."

A surprised look briefly flitted across his face. "Oh, and how can I do that?"

This time, it was the boy who spoke. "I only died last year, my grandfather has been dead for much longer than that. However, he has been looking for someone who could see him, and you are the first person to actually see him and talk to him. We think that you are the person who can help us cross over to the other side."

Naruto contemplated this for a long time. He knew that it was actually the shinigamis who did the soul burials for the souls to cross over to the other side. Actually, he was kind of worried. The older man's spirit had been wandering around for a long time without a burial. He could turn into a hollow soon. But Naruto didn't have his Zanpakuto yet, and he couldn't do the burial properly.

"Listen Ghost-san. Though I myself cannot help you, my brother and sister most certainly can. Follow me home so that they can properly send you to heaven." With that said, Naruto stood up and brushed the dust off of his clothing. He picked up his bags and indicated for the two spirits to follow him with a motion of his head.

The two ghosts looked at each other with hopeful gazes and sprinted after the boy.

Naruto's cottage was only about ten to fifteen minutes from the village. The walk was scenic and Naruto had to marvel at the beauty of Konoha.

One of the ghosts saw this. "It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Indeed it is sir. One could get lost in nature here. I wouldn't mind spending my days simply watching the clouds all day long. It would make me incredibly lazy though..."

The younger ghost chucked. "Grandfather, I think that he would make an excellent Nara."

"I was thinking the same thing! Yes, if only his hair was black. We don't have many blondes around here. My granddaughter, this boy's sister is blonde, and so was my daughter in-law. The only other blondes are part of the Yamanaka clan."

Naruto was listening to their conversation with interest. The layout of Konoha had fascinated him. Clans made up the "Noble" class of Konoha, though the larger the clan the more importance it had. "Ne, can you tell me your names please. I don't want to call you two Ghost-Sans anymore."

Both ghosts laughed at that. "Very well then laddie, my name is Senju Hashirama. I am the first Hokage of Konoha, as well as the co-founder of Konoha."

Ah, so Naruto was right. This guy was a leader.

"My name's Senju Nawaki. His grandson." The brunette piped up.

Naruto nodded to confirm that he had heard. "My name's Naruto, just Naruto."

"Well then, _just Naruto_, care to tell me, why out of the myriad of people in my village, only you were able to see us?" Hashirama inquired. He was quite curious actually.

Naruto pondered on this for a while. He was sure that some people in the village must have seen them although, chakra was the opposite of reiatsu, so it was highly likely that the shinobi wouldn't have. "Hmm, how do I put this delicately? I believe the reason why I can see you is partially because, I am not human."

Their reaction was priceless. The duo stopped in their tracks to look at the boy in front of them who in turn spun on his heel to stare at them with a most amused expression on his face. "What? Don't you believe me?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Of course we don't believe you! You look exactly like us! How can you not be human for crying out loud?" Nawaki shouted.

Naruto chuckled at the boy's outburst. "Well kid," Nawaki bristled at that. "I'm actually what you folk like to call...Shinigami. And to tell you the truth, I'm even older than you are, Hashirama-san."

The ex-shinobi's eyes widened. "Shingami...that's...that's...insane!" Hashirama whispered.

"Is it really though?" Naruto retorted. "There are humans in this world. Where exactly do they go after they die? They go to my realm, Soul Society. It's where you'll be going soon too." Even though Naruto had lived all but five months in the human world, he still felt as though Soul Society was his true home.

Nawaki still couldn't believe it. "Hey! What do you mean you're older than grandfather! You look to be around my age!"

"Kid, I meant it. I'm seventy nine years old. Now if your grandfather was still alive today, he would be older than me, but he looks to be around fifty five or so when he died. So, I am older than him." Naruto replied to the still incredulous Nawaki.

"Seventy nine...holy Kami. That's so cool!" Wow, that kid sure catches on quickly.

"Yep, in fact, I saw the way this village changed. You did a really good job along with that other man in creating this place, Hashirama-san."

Hashirama looked at the boy with unconcealed awe. Here was a real live shinigami...absolutely amazing. "Huh? Oh...thanks, I think."

Naruto just laughed at the man's face. But his laughter soon stopped when he felt something. The ghosts noticed his sudden change. "Is everything alright, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm not so sure sir..." Naruto cringed. The bags in his hands seem to grow heavier. There it was again...that same feeling...but stronger...much much stronger. He had to get to the house, and quickly. To do so, he had to utilize **Shunpo**. "Um guys, do you think you can latch on to my back somehow. I'm going to get us to my home quickly."

Hashirama and Nawaki shrugged and grabbed on to a part of Naruto's shirt. Surprisingly, they found that they could touch him.

"Hold on tight!" Naruto yelled. And they found out why. Naruto was moving at breakneck speeds towards the direction of his house.

_Something's coming this way...I just don't know what._ Naruto thought as he raced past trees and ducked under branches.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, fifty miles from Konoha, Ururu and Jinta were not enjoying themselves. Hollows had been sighted all along this area, and they were slowly eating the soul of every spirit that they could find. Having no choice but to stop it, they had to fight against the hollows. So far, they were doing pretty well considering they were outnumbered.<p>

"Ururu! To your right!" Jinta cried out as he slashed away at another hollow.

"Thanks Jinta! Shit!" The hollow swung at her. _A menos_. She thought. A menos was a hollow that absorbed hundreds of more hollows. There were three levels to a menos. First was a _Gillian_, or a Menos Grande. They were the weakest type of Menos, yet they could prove troublesome for someone that was of Lieutenant level. After that came _Adjuchas_. They weren't as large in number as the Gillians, but they were stronger and smarter. Finally, the last level was _Vasto Lorde_. These were the rarest and strongest type of menos. Their power was even higher than that of a captain.

"**Hikari no Tate, Mikazuki!"** (Shield of light, crescent moon). Ururu's yell echoed in the empty sky. A large burst of light engulfed Ururu. Now this shield did not simply protect her, it was also an offensive attack as well. Anything that touched the light other than herself and those she willed to protect, was disintegrated as soon as it came in contact with it. The menos disappeared in thousands of reishi particles.

Jinta was having some better luck than Ururu at the moment. He didn't rely too much on his Zanpakuto, which was called **Kurayami.** (Darkness). However now was probably the best time to use it. Jinta's Zanpakuto was meant for large scale attacks rather than small ones. "Ururu, move out of the way, I'm using it!" Ururu instantly came to Jinta's side and pressed her back against his so she could fend off attacks from that side.

"Alright my hollow friends, it's time to show you what exactly Hanakari Jinta is made out of!" He drew his blade out of his sheath. It was black and large and shaped like a scythe. Nothing else. "**Shinshoku to Hakai, Kurayami.**" (Encroach and Destroy, Darkness) The red head muttered. Instantly, the world turned pitch black for the hollows. There was no light anywhere. There was no escape. There was only a large abyss that was filled with darkness. Slowly, the darkness crept closer and closer to them, surrounding them. It was choking them. They couldn't move, they couldn't breathe, they couldn't do anything. It was maddening.

Jinta smirked from the outside of his creation. At least twenty hollows were trapped inside of the darkness. He whispered one more word. "**Hahen**" (Shatter). The darkness erupted into millions of pieces, and the hollows were gone. Jinta's smirk vanished though. He turned around to look at Ururu. She too had a frown on her face. They both looked at the sky. A large gash appeared in the blue surface.

"Fuck!" The both of them yelled at the same time. They knew what was going to happen next. And true to their thoughts, at least thirty more hollows came out.

The two of them gulped. They were strong yes, but their stamina was running out. So far, they had killed about thirty hollow a piece, and there were so many more coming. And these hollows were not ordinary ones, they were all Gillians. Before, they would only encounter one or two, which was fine. But each Gillian was pretty strong, as strong as a lieutenant. There was no way they could take on all of them at once.

One of the Gillians advanced on Ururu. But she was ready for it. "**Kagayaku, Mikazuki!"** The Menos Grande was blinded by the light of her Zanpakuto, but that didn't deter him from still coming closer and closer to her. She shunpoed back a couple meters. "Jinta! What do we do?"

His answer was instantaneous. "Use Hado and Bakudo. It's one of our only chances!"

She nodded. Ururu and Jinta were skilled Kido users, as they had once studied with Tessai, the Grand Kido Master. "**Hado no yon: Byakurai!"** (Way of destruction number four: White Lightning) A beam of lightning shot of of her hand and pierced the hollow right above the gaping hole in it's chest. The hollow growled in pain as it collapsed. However, within seconds it recuperated.

"Damn it Ururu! You can't use the lower levels against these guys! Let me do it! **Hado no Rokujuusan: Raikoho!**" (Way of Destruction number 63: Thunder Roar Sear (Literal translation not Viz). This time, an orb of golden reiatsu formed in Jinta's hand. He fired it directly at the Menos Grande with a great burst of spiritual energy. The menos was killed instantaneously.

"And that..." Jinta said while panting, "Is how you do it."

Ururu shook her head in exasperation. "That takes too much reiatsu, Jinta, that's why we don't do it. But seriously, how the hell are we supposed to kill these hollows?"

Jinta sighed when more hollows convulsed on them. "I'm not too sure, Ururu. But if we don't make it, then Naruto will be left alone. We have to fight for him, for us, and for our home. So draw your Zanpakuto and we'll kill as many of these bitches as we can." He drew **Kurayami** in his hands once more. "Okay Yami-kun, don't fail me now. Let's go get 'em!" He took a deep breath. This was the most he had fought since Naruto had come to them, and though he would never admit it, his body wasn't in the same shape it was when he was a shinigami. Assuming he survived this, he would start training rigorously. **"Sanpu: Kurayami" **(Scatter: Darkness) "Ururu, now!"

"Hai! **Momoku: Mikazuki!**" (Blind: Crescent Moon!) The two opposing forces of darkness and light worked in harmony with each other. The light was meant to confuse the hollows while the darkness would eradicate them. Jinta and Ururu were the perfect tag team, and Kisuke had only brought out their potential even more. They were probably lieutenant level or so by now.

"One shot Jinta. We had one shot and we used it." Ururu told the red headed man. The hollows were gone for now.

**"**I know Ururu, we got those suckers good didn't we?" Jinta sat down in midair. He was exhausted from the battle. Killing so many hollows-Menos Grande to be exact was a tiring prospect. He knew that the only chance that they had to kill all of them was to use their Zanpakutos together.

He knew that they had to get out of there soon, because Seireitei would know doubt be alerted to the presence of so many hollows in the real world. Unbeknownst to them though, one person was currently scrutinizing their very actions.

**Soul Society: Undisclosed location**

"Aizen-sama! The Menos Grandes are gone!" A person yelled, disturbing Aizen Sosuke's tea time. Said man was currently in front of a screen, and he had just seen everything that had transpired. So Ururu and Jinta were alive eh? This time he would make sure that they died. Aizen was a cruel man, who idly sent out hollows into the real world for his own personal pleasure. He was the vice-captain of the Fifth Division under Hirako Shinji, yet he was building his own force of shinigami and hollow alike so that he could destroy Soul Society and Seireitei forever.

"What do you propose we do, Aizen-san?" A teasing voice asked from his side. Aizen turned to look at the owner of the voice. Ichimaru Gin, member of the Third Division under Kurosaki Ishhin, had his feet propped up on the table, with a cup of tea in his left hand. That perpetual creepy grin adorned his face.

"Hn? Let them be for now. In due time, they along with the entire Gotei 13 will die. We will be the rulers of the universe, Gin. Remember that. Come, we must depart to Hueco Mundo very soon."

Gin snorted. Aizen wouldn't let anyone but himself rule. Gin and Tosen were just his subordinates, they were expendable according to Aizen's ideology. He never truly cared for any of them, never has, never will. But he stood up anyway, and followed Aizen out of the room, cup of tea still in hand.

**Soul Society: Captain's Meeting Room**

"It seems as though the danger of the hollows has passed." Genryuusai told the other captains who sighed in relief. He of course, knew all about Ururu and Jinta and obviously about Naruto. The amount of hollows in the real world astounded him profoundly though. Before he could send out any forces, they had disappeared. It was very unnatural, like an outside force was controlling them. Yamamoto was slightly nervous that the hollows were so close to Naruto, yet he had faith that Ururu and Jinta would take care of it. He knew that real reason why they were presumed dead, and he would have helped Yoruichi hide them should she have asked him.

Kurosaki Isshin eyed his Supreme-Commander with wary eyes. He couldn't help but notice how interested the old man had become with matters concerning the real world. Now Isshin was a very talented shinigami, one who was capable of identifying reiatsu from very far away. And the reiatsu that he thought he felt-well the owners of it were supposed to be dead. He couldn't go to the real world because it would look very suspicious, but Ichigo surely could.

"Sou-Taicho, if I may speak." Isshin looked up at the old man.

Yamamoto's gaze was drawn to the captain of the third division. "Nani, Kurosaki-san?"

"Sir, if I may be so bold as to suggest that perhaps it would be prudent if someone-perhaps a lieutenant goes into the real world to check if everything is all right." Isshin suggested.

Yamamoto thought this over for some time. "Hmmm, your suggestion does come with merit I suppose. Yes, that would be good. Your vice-captain will be up to this job, right Isshin?"

Ishhin nodded. "Yes, Ichigo will go. He does not need assistance for the most part. He will be fine."

Kisuke and Yoruichi gave each other nervous looks that didn't go unnoticed by Yamamoto. That's right, the hollows were close to where their son lived. They had every right to be concerned. But Yamamoto secretly hoped that a hollow was still loose and he would be drawn to Naruto's reiatsu. He wanted to see the boy in action. Now Yamamoto was not a cruel devious person, yet he knew talent where he saw it. It was why he took Juushiro and Shinsui as his disciples. They had tremendous potential, as does Naruto. He wanted the future generation of shinigami to be led by a strong person, and deep down, he had the gut feeling that Naruto would be it.

"Alright then, send the boy out immediately to scout the area for any potential lingering threats." Yamamoto ordered.

"Hai!" Isshin vanished to let Ichigo know that he had an assignment to complete.

"The rest of you are dismissed as well, though Kisuke-san, Yoruichi-san, stay behind for a moment. There was a discrepancy in the report that you filed a week ago." Yamamoto said. Kisuke and Yoruichi looked at each other in confusion before shrugging.

The captains disappeared fairly quickly. Retsu cast her friend a comforting glance before leaving.

Yamamoto stared at two of his best captains before sighing. "Listen, there was nothing wrong with the reports that you filed. I'm here to talk to you about a more...personal matter."

Apprehension grew upon the two best friends/almost lovers/parents. "Excuse me, Sou-Taicho, I'm afraid I do not understand." Kisuke told the wizened man cautiously.

"Hn, are you sure that you don't? You're supposed to be a genius, boy. Use that knowledgeable brain of yours and think." Was the captain's retort.

Personal matters...personal matters...hollows appearing close to Naruto...personal matters...Naruto...Naruto...Naruto..."Naruto." Kisuke breathed out. Crap, the commander knew about his...their son.

Yoruichi gasped and then cursed herself for allowing such emotion to escape. She looked up to meet the impassive gaze of the creator of the Gotei-13.

"I know about your son, Yoruichi-san." Was all the old man said. "I know all about Shihoin-Urahara Naruto. The boy is quite impressive if I do say so myself. And before you speak, know this, I am not going to punish the both of you for anything.

She let out a sigh of relief that quickly turned into something else. Kisuke's eyes hardened, though his bangs covered his eyes again. "Then why tell us now sir? For what purpose?" Their commander had never spoken to them so personally, and there was an underlying motive here somewhere.

Yamamoto chuckled .He heard the suspicion in Kisuke's voice. Why did everyone think that he was such a bad old man that he would take advantage of two parents trying to protect their son. "It's rather simple. I want Naruto to live in Soul Society, where he truly belongs. I also want Ururu-chan and Jinta-chan to return as well."

Yoruichi tensed. How had the old man known about those two? It was supposed to be a secret that only a select few knew about.

As if to answer her unasked question, the man spoke. "Eighty years ago, I sensed a reiatsu-a very powerful reiatsu growing deep inside of your womb. I figured out who the father was because the child's reiatsu was the combined product of both of yours. Seventy nine years ago, you opened the Senkaimon along with Unohana Retsu and Shiba Kukaku to deliver your child to Jinta and Ururu. If I had wanted to punish you, Yoruichi, I would have done so already. However your son's potential is enormous, and I really don't feel like punishing two of my most powerful captains."

Kisuke frowned at the man's explanation. "So you're saying that you want to use our son for Seiretei's benefit?"

Yamamoto sighed again. He was not a cruel man! "No! I don't want to _use_ your son, Kisuke. I want him to return home and be trained like a true shinigami. I have a feeling about him, and I know that he's going to be something great one day. Listen, think what you want, but I'm trying to reunite a family here."

Kisuke relaxed slightly. "So our son, you want him to become a full fledged Shinigami then?"

"That's what I said isn't it?" Yamamoto stroked his beard. "Yoruichi-san, Kisuke-san, I know that you are trying to protect your child from Soul Society-mainly the Shihoin Clan. Had you asked me before, I would have helped you hide the boy, or I would have trained him myself. I knew both of your fathers very well, and I came to think of them as my own. It was your father's wish Kisuke, that should anything happen to him, I would be the one to raise you. However the Shihoin Clan beat me to it. Now I hope that you two can understand why I want Naruto to come home. I need a kid to pamper."

Yoruichi and Kisuke were rendered speechless by the old man's confession. His eyes, they were now open and they held no deceit in them whatsoever. He was telling the truth. He wanted to treat Naruto like a grandson or something. He wanted to _train_ the boy? Was this the same man who had once threatened Kisuke with exile if he didn't stop those experiments? Life made no sense sometimes.

"Yamamoto-taicho, are you serious?" Yoruichi had to make sure.

"Indeed I am, Yoruichi, indeed I am. Naruto needs this, to come back. He needs his parents. He needs to learn the arts properly. And I'm sure that the two of you want your son as well."

The two captains pondered his words. "When do you need him to come back?" Kisuke finally asked resignedly. Yoruichi sighed inwardly. There was no getting out of this.

Yamamoto's lips curved upward in a smile. "When he turns 100."

They nodded. It still gave them twenty one years to prepare for their son's arrival.

* * *

><p>Speaking of said son, the boy had reached his home.<p>

"Nee-san! Nii-san! Where are you guys?" He called frantically. Hashirama and Nawaki slid off of his back to observe their surroundings. They were in the outskirts of Konoha in a secluded area. Woods surrounded every part of the area. For the Mokuton user, it was like a dream come true. His house looked like something in a fairytale. Konoha should have been settled here. The two ghosts envied the boy. Such peace, such quiet.

Naruto was terrified. What was this feeling? He felt smothered, like he couldn't breathe. Didn't those two feel it as well? Was he the only one? Where were Ururu and Jinta when you needed them the most?

"Oi, you two, stick close to me!" Naruto commanded.

The grandfather and grandson heard the seriousness in the shingami's tone. They scooted closer to him and froze. They felt paralyzed-in fear or in something else, they didn't know. Naruto saw their facial expressions. "So you feel that as well?"

"Wh..wh...what is that?" Nawaki shook in his shinobi sandals. He had never felt this sensation before, not even when Tsunade went into one of her mad rages. He scampered behind Naruto and clung on to the smaller boy's shoulder like it was his life line.

"I'm not too sure my self, Nawaki-san." Naruto admitted, tensing. The pressure was getting closer and closer. It felt like it was only a mile away or so. Then Naruto understood. What he felt, it was spiritual energy, reiatsu.

BOOM

CRASH

THUD

Naruto and his two companions whirled around. Trees were destroyed, animals crushed. Naruto and his companions whirled around. Naruto saw it first. A large...thing. It had a gaping hole in it's chest. The thing, for there was no other way to describe it, had on a mask. It was like one of those masks that they would sell in a festival, but more feral. Its body was huge-taller than any building in Konoha. Naruto gulped, he knew what that was now.

The two Senjus gaped at the monster. They had never seen anything like it. To Hashirama, even the Kyuubi hadn't scared him more than this thing.

"Nanda arewa?" Nawaki yelled.

"It's a hollow." Naruto told the boy in his best calm voice.

"Hollow?" The Senju Clan Head repeated

"Hai, I don't have time to explain what they are in detail, but know this much: these vile beings prey on the sould of the dead and living alike. We are all in danger." The blonde stated grimly.

Hashirama grimaced. He had always envisioned death to be peaceful-a white light or something. He certainly didn't expect to roam around the land he had created for decades then 'die' being eaten by some monster thing. Nor did he expect to meet a real live shinigami (Ironic much) by the name of 'fishcake'.

Naruto had no idea on how take on a hollow. Ururu and Jinta had told him that when they encountered a hollow, tehy would either use Kido or their sowrds. But Naruto did not have a Zanpakuto. He could only utilize Kido. It was the only chance that he had.

"You two, stay clear of here. I'll try to take this thing out." Naruto commanded.

The two were more than happy to comply with the man/boy's demands. They scampered as far away as they could from the area. The hollow, sensing that his food had moved, tried to follow them, but was stopped by a large rock that was thrown at his head.

"Argh!" The hollow grunted and turned to look at the insolent whelp who had thrown the rock.

"Oi fat ass! Yeah, that's right! It's me that you want! Not them! So come and get me!" Naruto taunted. In hidsight, that might not have been the smartest thing to do, but it worked because the hollow came right after Naruto.

"**Bakudo no Ichi: Sai!"** (Way of binding number one: Restrain) The hollow's arms were bound behind its back. The more it tried to move, the more frustrated it grew based on the crescendo of it's growls. But Naruto's bakudo was pretty strong. It held out well. Naruto quickly shunpoed behind the hollow and touched part of his mask. The hollow sung wildly about trying to dislodge the boy.

"**Hado no Juu-ichi: Tsuzuri Raiden!" **(Way of Destruction number 11: Bound Lightning) An electric current shot out of Naruto's palms and into the hollow. The effect was instantanous. The hollow vanished in thousands of particles.

Naruto descended to the ground, panting slightly. The Senjus came out of their hiding places with their mouth's open.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Nawaki shouted in Naruto's ear.

Naruto blushed, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh that? That was nothing!" He told them in a very Kisuke-esque manor.

All of a sudden, the sky split. Out of the sky, popped out a _very_ large, _very_ grotesque being. Naruto trembled. This thing's reiatsu was so much more volatile than the other hollow's had been. In seventy three years, he had never once seen a hollow, so then why now of all times, did _two_ have to appear when his brother and sister weren't even around?

"Um guys, I think you might want to hide again. We have a big problem." Naruto whispered. If the ghosts could, they would have shit themselves right now.

An Adjuchas had appeared.

* * *

><p>Kurosaki Ichigo was impulsive by nature, willing to help out anyone who he thought needed his help. He grew stronger for the soul reason of protecting his precious people. So one may ask the question of why he didn't come to the small boy's rescue as he was observing this.<p>

Oh yes, Ichigo saw how Naruto had taken down this hollow. He had sensed that a couple of strays were around somewhere, and was led to a spacious homey cottage in an area without population. Then he had seen a boy, who he had only seen from the back, talking to two ghosts, telling them to stay clear. He had only encountered a couple humans who could talk or see ghosts. His jaw had nearly touched the floor when he saw the boy performing bakudo and hado spells. His head had nearly split open when the boy had turned his way because the boy had an uncanny resemblance to his uncle Kisuke.

And now the Adjuchas had appeared. The boy looked so frightened, however on closer inspection, one may find a golden glint in the boy's stromy eyes. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

And now this leads us to the question of a lifetime: What exactly will Kurosaki Ichigo do? Will he help the boy? Let him suffer? Let him suffer then help the boy? Help the boy then let him suffer?

For now he would watch and see, then he would decide.

* * *

><p>The Senjus stared at the fishcake for sometime from their hiding spot. It seemed as though him and the hollow were having a staring contest of some sort. But they could feel the power resonating off of the being. It was at least a hundred times more potent than that other hollow. If one were to compare the two, the former would have been a 'small fly'.<p>

Naruto's mind was in overdrive. He was truly his father's son and was calculating hundreds of battle plans in his head. All of them ended in him getting seriously injured or dead. His best scenario was to hold off until Jinta and Ururu came back.

Before he could move though, the Adjuchas swiped a large hand at Naruto casuing him to crash into the multitude of trees behind him. Naruto stood up shakily. He felt a warm liquid descending down from his aching head. He looked up only to find that the hollow was going to strike again. Naruto's vision was blurry, and he couldn't see properly, yet he still managed to shunpo out of the way.

"KUSO!" The blonde yelled. He had blood spurting out of a nasty gash on his forehead. "KUSO KUSO!" He dodged more and more attack from the Menos. He couldn't possibly win with his limited repertoire of spells.

Spells. He could do the high level ones with the incantation. But how could he possibly have enough time to say all of it? The menos was too fast for him, and he could easily kill him. Naruto had to distract the adjuchas so that he could say the spell. The only question was how to do so...

Bakudo...the way of binding. Today would be the real test of his prowess with Kido spells. Jinta and Ururu had one day found his immersed in a book of Kido spells that he had discovered in the house. He was fascinated by them. But they had taken the book away before he could fully memorize the upper level ones. However, he had written down a few.

Naruto took a deep breath. He felt the reiatsu flowing through his body. It was visible to Ichigo, and it felt very familiar to the man as well. Naruto took another steadying breath. "**Bakudo no ichi: Sai!"** That binding spell did nothing to the second level of Menos. It only restrained the thing slightly. Ichigo wondered if he was trying to do the same attack as he had against the weaker hollow again. But then he saw the smirk of the boy. No, that kid wasn't stupid. He was only testing the waters.

"So it's of no use eh? Then how about this?" Naruto raised his palm out to the hollow, then made it into a fist. "**Bakudo no roku-juu-san: Sajo Sabaku!"** (Way of binding number 63: Locking bondage stripes) A thick yellow covered the adjuchas from the torso up, effectively disabling him. But Naruto knew that he could easily escape from that. He had to act fast. His stamina was drained and he had to act fast.

Ichigo watched in wonder as the Kisuke clone readied himself. That bakudo was a pretty powerful one, and by this time he had realized that the kid wasn't a human at all. No human knew the shinigami arts, and those that did were dead. So where did the kid learn this from?

Naruto pointed his middle and index fingers on his right hand at the hollow. "Chiniku no kamen, banshō, habataki, hito no na o kansu mono yo! Sôka no kabe ni sôren o kizamu, taika no fuchi o enten ni te matsu!_"_ **Hado no nana-juu-san: Soren Sokatsui**" (Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Way of Binding number 73: Twin Lotus Blue Fire Crash down!) Blue spiritual energy shot out of his outstretched fingers and hit the adjuchas right over the hole in it's chest.

The adjuchas was unable to move because of the previous bakudo spell and howled in pain. Ichigo watched the kid in awe. He had used two high level Kido spells in configuration with each other. That was something that was difficult for many ordinary shinigami. This kid didn't even have his Zanpakuto yet, and he was already this powerful. What exactly was he doing on earth? He would ask questions later. The kid needed help.

Naruto collapsed, panting hard on the ground. That wasn't an easy task and it had taken a lot out of him. The hollow thing looked to be severly injured, but Naruto didn't know if it was enough. The last thing he saw before falling into a deep fitful rest was an orange haired man in billowing black robes slicing the Adjuchas in two. He also saw the two Senjus make their way over to him, their see through faces conerned. Then all was black.

* * *

><p>Ururu and Jinta felt Naruto's reiatsu from miles away. They also felt the reiatsu of hollows. How had those escaped them? Shit, and was that the reiatsu of a shinigami? It took them a few more minutes to reach their home.<p>

The damage was considerable. By some miracle, no humans had come to investigate and the house hadn't been destroyed as well. But Naruto was no where in sight.

"NARUTO!" Jinta yelled as loud as he could. "NARUTO!"

Ururu and Jinta ran into the house only to freeze in their tracks. There, in their living room sat Kurosaki Ichigo with an unconscious Naruto on his lap. Ichigo was staring at the two of them wide eyed, like he couldn't believe it.

"Jinta-san, Ururu-san?" Ichigo whispered.

Jinta cursed inwardly. Of all of the people that he had to meet today, it had to be Ichigo, the boy who had trusted him more than anything.

"Ichigo-kun?" Ururu asked tentatively.

"But your...your supposed to be dead! Yoruichi-baa-san said so herself! And so did dad and Kisuke-jii-san! What the hell!" The man shouted at his two elders. Naruto still wasn't awake.

The raven and the red head stared at their brother before looking Ichigo full in the face.

"Ichigo-kun, Yoruichi-sama faked our deaths." Jinta told the man bluntly.

Ichigo gaped. "Huh? But why? You...we...were...I mean..."

"That story is for another time. But tell us this, why are you here?" Ururu asked, her eyes still trained on Naruto's limp figure.

Ichigo still couldn't believe that those two were still alive. It was absurd. "Oh...um...well apparently dad wanted me to check out the hollows in the human world. I'm assuming it was you two who killed all of them in the first place. Dad wanted me to make sure that none of them were still around. But one was. And it attacked this little guy here. Then another...this time an adjuchas came out of the sky and went after him as well."

Ururu and Jinta gasped. They had left Naruto all alone, so that he could fend for himself when two hollows attacked. Hell, he didn't even know what hollows looked like. "And...were you watching the fight?" Jinta demanded.

Ichigo heard the tension in the older man's voice. "Yes, yes I was. Before you criticize me for not helping him, you should know that he took out the first hollow fine. He had two spirits with him, and I'm guessing those, coupled with the kid's reiatsu attracted the hollow to him. He used a simple bakudo to bind the hollow, then he used a hado to destroy it. The second one...it was an adjuchas."

Ururu paled. Jinta looked like he could murder someone. Ichigo looked down guiltily. It was true that if he had interfered, the kid wouldn't have been so banged up.

"What...what did Naruto do?" Ururu came over and took the boy into her own lap, gently stroking his blood soaked hair and face. Never before had Ichigo seen the woman so full of emotion.

"He used the same strategy that he defeated the weaker hollow with, more kido spells. But the spells that he used...boy, I don't know what you've been teaching him. He used Bakudo no 63 and then Hado no 73 all in quick succession. That's why he was so weak. It took a lot of reiatsu out of him by the looks of it. Plus he was thrown into trees, hence the injuries to his head."

Jinta grabbed Ichigo by the front of his robe. "You're a lieutenant, a damn strong one! Then why couldn't you have taken the menos out by yourself?"

Ichigo frowned and pulled himself out of the older man's grip. "Because I wanted to see what the kid would do okay? Clearly he's not human, I mean any shinigami can tell that he himself is a shinigami. The kid knows this, and is damn talented with Kido. So before you get all worked up, you will tell me exactly who he is!" His chocolate brown eyes flashed and Jinta let out a sigh.

Ururu gently put her hand on Jinta's shoulder. It was a sign meant to restrain him from doing anything rash. She spoke softly from Ichigo's side. "The boy, is our younger brother, not by blood or anything, but a younger brother nonetheless. Clearly you haven't been told anything about him by Yoruichi-sama or Kisuke-san. But I'm sure you've noted the resemblance between the two."

Ichigo nodded hesitantly, not sure if Ururu was going to say what he thought she was going to say. "The boy's full name is Urahara-Shihoin Naruto." Ururu finished quite dramatically, her voice an ethereal whisper.

The orange haired man was rendered speechless. Holy mother of Kami. His surrogate uncle and aunt had produced a kid. A blonde whiskered kid who's name was _fishcake_. Not that Ichigo could comment on names though. He was a strawberry after all. But still. I mean, it's not every day you learn that two people who are supposed to be dead are alive and live in the real world. And that those two same people faked their deaths and their surrogate aunt helped them. And that the surrogate aunt and uncle had a kid.

"Bu...bu...but how?" Ichigo spluttered.

"Well, when two people love each other very much, the man puts his..."

"NO! I know _how_, but...I mean...when?" He flushed a deep red.

Jinta sighed. "Yoruichi-sama came to us seventy nine years ago with this little bundle of joy. See, look, there's a Shihoin medallion around his neck." Ichigo did indeed see it now.

"She told us to look after him like we were his brother and sister. And we trained him, bit by bit, in our ways. He didn't actually know that he was a shinigami until about twenty three years ago, but still. He's a damn genius too, just like Kisuke-san. However, he doesn't know who his parents are yet. All he knows is that their captains. He's a natural at Kido spells, just like Yoruichi-sama. In fact, we never taught him the Kidos that you mentioned, but I think he just picked them up from that book we have." Jinta finished.

"Wait...there's a book on Kido?" Ichigo asked him incredulously.

"Yep, Tessai-san gave it to us as a gift. He's one of the few people who knows where we are. I don't think he knows about Naruto though, but then again, the less who know the better." Ururu answered him. She dropped a kiss on the boy's still form. "Jinta...he should have woken up by now. This isn't exhaustion, is it?"

Ichigo studied the boy for some time, noting the obvious similarities between him and Kisuke. For some reason, Ichigo saw himself reflected in the boy as well. Then he grinned. If indeed that was true, then he knew what was wrong with the kid.

"Don't worry, Naruto will be fine. Just leave him alone for some time." Ichigo told the worried pair.

"What do you mean?" Ururu asked the lieutenant.

"Let's just say that he's on his way to becoming a true shinigami." Ichigo replied cryptically.

The raven and the red head understood immediately. They both had identical smiles on their faces. That time had finally come.

Ichigo stood up. "Well, I've overstayed my welcome here. If Naruto asks, just tell him I'm Ichigo aniki. That will be fine. I've always wanted a little brother anyway. Oh, and also tell him that the two spirits have been given a proper soul burial. They should be in rukongai by now."

Ururu and Jinta nodded. "Ichigo...we're sorry...for everything. We should have told you...and it's just...we used to be really close..." Jinta told the man lamely. Ichigo waved him off. "It's fine. We all thought that you were dead, and I'm sure that there was a good reason for why you had to fake your own deaths. It must have been hard, leaving everything. Heck, you two were lieutenant material the last I heard. And now...but hey, life happens. I really should get going. I stayed out too long for a simple recon mission, they might become suspicious. I'm sure that we'll meet again. I might even come visit sometime."

Ururu gave Ichigo a sisterly hug. "Just don't tell too many people about us." She whispered in his ear. He squeezed her in response.

"Ja-ne!" Ichigo shunpoed out the room, before the two of them could react. Jinta shook his head. "Man, he hasn't changed one bit."

The two moved Naruto to his room and watched his chest rise and fall with every breath that he took. Even in sleep, his bangs covered his now closed eyes.

"Let him rest. He's gone through a lot today." Jinta softly said, kissing Ururu's temple. She blushed at the action. Even Jinta seemed surprised at what he had done. The two quietly made their way out of Naruto's room, leaving him in his own world.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto's mindscape:<strong>

Naruto blearily opened his eyes. It felt like he had taken a ton of bricks and dropped them on his own head. He had a throbbing pain in his forehead. "Where am I?" He asked himself sleepily.

_This is your own mind._

Naruto jolted to a standing position. That voice, it sounded exactly like his own. He looked around. What was this place? It didn't look like anything he had ever seen before. He was standing on an island, a very secluded island. It was barren, no one...nothing, not even a palm tree was on it. The sky, it looked like it was going to rain any second now. All he could see for miles and miles was water. But the water, it wasn't blue, it was golden. Golden water? He had a messed up mind.

_Your mind isn't messed up as you call it, this is simply your true self._

Naruto jumped. This voice...his voice...could hear his thoughts?

_Well of course, I am you after all...your conscience to be exact._

Okay, now that was just freaky. So his conscience was here, obviously, this was his own mind after all. But what was with the water, and this island?

_Subconsciously, you isolate yourself from everyone else, hence the island. And as to why the water is golden, well because you are a pure soul. The water is the very reflection of your soul. Look into it, and you shall see._

Naruto hesitated, but looked into the water just as the conscience had told him to.

To his immense surprise, it wasn't his reflection in the mirror, but it was of someone else. The person staring back at him had reddish-blonde hair. His face was angular, and very handsome. The odd part was, he still had three whisker marks on each cheek. His eyes were slitted, like that of a cat, and golden, like the water. Naruto stared at the man in awe. Indeed he was man, there was no boyish fat on the man's face.

"So you've come." The reflection said. "It's only taken you seventy nine years."

Naruto was not easily angered, but the reflection's voice sounded mocking, and it was something he didn't like. "Hey! I only found out what I was twenty nine years ago!" He retorted.

"Ha! Do you think that matters? I've been with you for your entire life, and that's the excuse you give? Come now...you must have felt it, ever since you were born, that you were different. Based on the humans that you saw as a kid, you never thought that you were the same as them. You've always imagined yourself to be different from them."

Naruto pondered what the reflection had said. It was true. When he was younger, he was forbidden from going into the village, but he himself had no will to fraternize with the humans in the first place. Naruto hated crowds because he felt like he could never fit in.

"Who are you?" He asked after some time.

The reflection chuckled. "You know my name, It's..."

Naruto blinked. He saw the man's mouth move, but no sound came out. "Excuse me, could you repeat that?"

The reflection sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I guess it's too early for that. But no worries, soon, we will meet each other for real."

Naruto stared at the man in confusion. But the more he looked into those golden eyes, the more he was reminded of something...or someone. "You...you're me...aren't you? I mean...my powers...my soul...you're my Zanpakuto!" He shouted in realization.

The reflection's eyes widened. The kid sure caught on quickly. "You bet I am. You can't hear my name yet because you aren't ready. Soon...the time will come Naruto. That's all I can say. However I think that our time is up. You should be waking soon. Remember, should you ever need me, just close your eyes and envision this place. It is your mind after all."

Naruto nodded and watched as his inner mind faded away.

Slowly, he came back to the real world.

_My room_. He thought. It was then that all the flashbacks hit him in one go. Him meeting the ghosts, him trying to protect them, him fighting the hollows. Him crashing into trees, and him seeing that orange haired man. He even remembered someone talking about him while someone was stroking his hair. It felt nice, real nice. Then there was someone telling Ururu and Jinta that Naruto could call him 'Ichigo-aniki." But two names stuck out to him. Try as he might, he couldn't figure out why they seemed so familiar.

Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi, who were they, and why did he feel as though he had known them forever?

* * *

><p><strong>Seireitei<strong>

Ichigo sighed as he exited the commander's office. So Yamamoto had known about all of this.

He walked back to his family house slowly, occasionally acknowledging the people who recognized him in the street. The Kurosaki Clan was not a large noble clan, but it had the same respect that the Urahara Clan had once commanded. The two clan's had a common ancestor somewhere.

He trudged up to his father's quarters wearily. He wasn't exhausted, but the information he had received today was quite a bit to wrap his head around.

Without knocking, he entered his father's room to see the captain of the third division sprawled on the bed, clutching a picture of his deceased wife close to his heart. Ichigo winced. Today was his mother's birthday. But she was dead, killed in an attack orchestrated by a rouge shinigami.

Kurosaki Masaki had been an excellent lieutenant under Kyoraku Shinsui. But all it had taken was on fatal blow to the jugular to end her life. Isshin had been absolutely devastated.

Ichigo gently shook his father awake. Isshin jumped up, still holding the picture of Masaki. It took him a moment to become oriented with his surroundings. Isshin cursed his carelessness. His son had seen him when he really didn't want to be seen like this. He was about to reprimand Ichigo, but stopped at seeing the grim expression on his eldest son's face.

"I'm assuming that the recon was fine?" Isshin asked tentatively.

"That was fine, it was what I found that was strange." Ichigo lazily stretched out. He had to tell his family about Naruto and the others.

Isshin's curiosity had been spiked. "Oh, and what exactly did you find?"

"I'm going to go get Karin and Yuzu, then I'll tell you." Ichigo replied. He left without another word

Wouldn't Isshin be surprised to know that he had a kawaii little nephew running around the real world...

**Half an hour later: Kisuke's Chambers**

Kisuke was pacing around his room, no it was more like shunpo-ing around his room much to Yoruichi's displeasure. They needed to know if Naruto was safe from the hollow attacks.

A knock on the door interrupted his 'pacing'. He stared at the door like he didn't know it existed. Yoruichi frowned. "I'll get it." She walked up and pulled the oak door open.

There in front of her stood a very irate Kurosaki Isshin along with his family. Kisuke came up beside her and scrutinized the angry expression on his friend's face.

"Isshin...Ichigo-kun, Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan...nani?"

"Cut the crap, Kisuke. Now tell me why you didn't name me Naruto's godfather yet..."

* * *

><p><strong>Owari! Yosh...so how'd you like that? As you might be able to tell, this has more to do with Bleach than Naruto. (Not the character, the name of the...well you get it) All parings will be from bleach, and no harems. Sorry, I don't feel like having him with a billion women all of a sudden. So Naruto is not overpowered or anything, he's just...Naruto...without the retardedness that Kishimoto portrays him to have. Next chapter will probably be about his Zanpakuto-which is of my creation. A lot of crossover fics have Naruto having Zangetsu, or Hyorinmaru, or even Kyuubi as his sword. But I want to make his sword completely original, because I can give it my own flare. It will be an interesting Zanpkuto though...I hope...<strong>

**Anyways...please review:) Domo Arigato Minna-san!**


	4. Training with a Sadistic Bastard

**Fourth Chapter in this fic...Sorry it took so long to update! I hope you enjoyed the story so far. Now this is yet another time skip. But rest assured, only a couple more time skips left till he reaches Soul Society. Please continue to review the story! Oh, and Kokuhi...forgive me:) I realize that you meant Kurosaki Karin now...oh and thanks to JKArcanus and Corrotto, Soi-Fong and Harribel are also added. But no more suggestions please:) Just vote for who you want So this chapter might make Kisuke and Yoruichi reflect on their decisions in the past. I'm not bashing them, just telling them off. Be warned, this is a very fast paced chapter in terms of the content in it.  
><strong>

**I've also changed the Konoha Shinobi ages a bit. Kakashi and Gai are about seven years old here, and this chapter is set eight years before the Kyuubi attack. So they are a couple years older than canon, this goes for almost all of the Naruto characters.  
><strong>

**So pairing wise:**

**Naru/Rangiku-8  
><strong>

**Naru/Nel-3**

**Naru/Senna-4**

**Naru-Momo-2**

**Naru/Nemu-2**

**Naru/Karin-4**

**Naru/Soi-Fong 1**

**Naru/Harribel-1  
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**Oh and Jinta/Ururu will also be a pair.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>One year later...<strong>

Naruto had grown significantly in that year, just one short year. He had become slightly more outgoing, and actually showed his emotions. His eightieth birthday was celebrated with a lot of shabang, or as much shabang as three people could muster. Ururu had baked an eight layer cake, signifying the eight decades that he had been alive for. Jinta still commented on how he was a little chibi compared to their own 'majestic' ages. Naruto had opted not to answer him, and retaliated by binding his brother with a Kido spell through the entire cake eating process. Naruto had taken the bites of his cake slowly, pausing to moan after each bite, and saying how he was in heaven while eating it. Jinta had a _huge_ sweet tooth, and that cake was the reason he was so nice to Naruto during the week of his birthday. But Naruto, though he had some sadism running through his veins was not that cruel a person who would not give a poor, dying man his cake. In the end, he unbound Jinta and gave him a large piece. Jinta was very satisfied.

When Naruto had woken up after his fight with the adjuchas, he had been thoroughly disoriented. He immediately told Jinta and Ururu about his Zanpakuto, and they said that it was normal that Naruto didn't hear the name of the sword yet. It just meant that he wasn't ready for him. He had also asked the two who the orange haired man was that had saved him. Jinta had said that he was an old acquaintance from soul society and that Naruto would know him as 'Ichigo-Aniki'. Naruto was quite taken by the orange haired man because "he had looked really cool with his black robes and that kick ass sword." Those were Naruto's exact words. For eighty years old, he wasn't all that mature yet. But that was to be expected when Urahara Kisuke was your father.

Speaking of Kisuke, he was in a shit load of trouble with Isshin when he had learned about Kisuke's son. I mean, think about it. How would you feel if your closest guy friend for 500 years hadn't told you about your self proclaimed godson? I think that I would be pretty pissed. Isshin had thoroughly chewed both him and Yoruichi out.

**Flashback: One year ago...Shihoin Complex-Kisuke's Quarters**

"Cut the crap, Kisuke. Now tell me why you haven't named me Naruto's godfather yet..." Isshin's chocolate eyes blazed. He took much pleasure in seeing the faces of his childhood friends' turn ashen. "Oh yes, I know. You see, Ichigo here met the boy today, along with Ururu and Jinta. So now, you will tell us the full story on how all of this," Isshin waved his hands wildly about, "came to be. Do you understand?" His voice had a hard edge to it.

Kisuke grudgingly opened the door all the way to let the four Kurosakis into the room. Yoruichi was stunned at the coldness in Isshin and Ichigo's eyes. They all sat around the table, waiting for someone to speak.

"Well Kisuke, Yoruichi, I think it's only prudent that you lot start first." Isshin growled at them. He was pissed. Eighty years, for eighty years he had been deceived by his friends, from conception to now.

The pair in question glanced at each other before Yoruichi spoke up. "It was one night, just one night eighty years ago. It wasn't an accident...I might have...never mind." She coughed slightly and inwardly grinned at the crimson visage of Ichigo. "But I became pregnant after that. The only ones who knew were Shiba Kukaku and Unohana Retsu, oh and apparently Yamamoto knew as well, but he never told anyone. I really don't know why he di..." She was cut off by Yuzu. "Wait, you mean that the sou-taicho knew about Naruto-chan and never said a word? Not even to you?" The girl's voice was incredulous.

"Well yes, truth be told, we only found out today that the old man knew about Naruto. He said that he wanted someone to spoil..." Kisuke added nonchalantly.

The four Kurosakis looked like their eyes would have popped out. "You can't be serious! I mean why would the man say that?" Karin inputted her own two cents.

"We're not really sure..." Yoruichi said hesitantly. She still didn't completely trust the commander, no matter what he said.

"Anyway...you were saying Yoruichi-baa-chan, the only ones who knew about the pregnancy were Shiba-san and Unohana-taicho." Ichigo said with annoyance laced in with curiosity.

"Oi! Matte! If they were the only ones, plus the commander, does that mean that Kisuke didn't know either?" Isshin shouted.

Yoruichi looked down. Her golden eyes stared at the floor with regret. Kisuke just sighed and gave Isshin a rather light glare. "Yes, my lovely lady here decided to tell me that I had a son on his fiftieth birthday which was nearly thirty years ago. Was I pissed, hell yes. Did I stay pissed...not really. I've known about my son for twenty nine years."

Surprise was evident in all of their eyes. "Are...are you serious?" Isshin asked. He couldn't believe that Yoruichi wouldn't have told Kisuke about his own son.

"Of course it's the truth." Kisuke said shortly. Though he had forgiven Yoruichi eventually, he was still quite sore about noe knowing about Naruto for more than half of the boy's life. It wasn't fair to him.

"But...but why? Why keep it from jii-san for so long?" Ichigo asked, turning to Yoruichi to hear her answer.

She looked up. This was the third or fourth time she would have to repeat this story. "Settle down, because it's a long story..."

_**Some time later**..._

Isshin clenched his fists in anger. "Yoruichi...would your clan really do that?"

Yoruichi wearily looked into the man's eyes. "Yes...yes they would."

Karin looked disgusted while Yuzu gasped in shock.

Ichigo gave both of his surrogate aunt and uncle a calculating look. "I can see why you did it, but you do realize that Naruto has no idea who his parents are. I'm sure Ururu and Jinta have told him about you two, but he doesn't know your names yet. How will he feel when he returns? Is he going to accept you two, is he going to be mad, will he even respect the both of you? So you say you've gone to the human world and seen him from afar. But has he ever seen you? He's a kid...no matter his age. His mother left him when he was five months old. His father didn't know that he existed till recently. How in anyway is that fair to him? I saw Naruto in action. He beat a low level hollow and went up against an adjuchas with just Kido spells. Those are his strong point. He used two kido spells in the 60-70 range simultaneously. The only thing he lacks right not besides his Zanpakuto is battle training. Who's training him? Ururu and Jinta. Not his mom and dad. You know where he is, you know who he is...and yet you do nothing. You sit here in soul society waiting for your child to return instead of going to him. He has no way of reaching you guys, yet you can open the Senkaimon and reach him. The more you wait to tell him who you are...the more he will resent you. I know, that when I get the chance, I'm going to go visit Naruto myself. Why? Because as of today, I'm his aniki. The both of you...if you expect Naruto to forgive you in a heartbeat, forget it. If you two were my parents, It would take a hell of a long time for me to reconcile with you." Ichigo finished his speech with a deep breath. "I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but it's better if it comes from me rather than from Naruto."

The people in the room were astounded by the passion in Ichigo's voice. His eyes flashed dangerously, as if daring Yoruichi and Kisuke to refute his statements. But they didn't. No one could deny the truth in the man's speech. If Naruto was anything like his parents, then he would be one to hold a grudge for quite sometime before letting go. If it was one Yoruichi was bad at, it was forgiving and forgetting. Kisuke was better at it, yet he too had a problem.

"No Ichigo, you're absolutely right." Kisuke rose and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Thanks for telling us this. There is one thing about your little speech that concerns me however. Did you say that Naruto fought and adjuchas?"

Yoruichi stood up so fast that her chair clattered to the floor. She had completely missed that part. "What!"

Ichigo braced himself for the blow that he might receive from Yoruichi. "Hai, Naruto did fight an adjuchas."

"And you didn't help him?" Yoruichi's voice dropped an octave. Ichigo gulped instinctively.

"No. No I didn't. I needed to see what he could do. He was an enigma, a shinigami on earth. I wasn't going to let him die, but I was gauging his skill level." Ichigo's voice wavered when he saw her eyes glint dangerously. However to his immense surprise, she nodded in understanding. Kisuke too seemed to accept the man's explanation.

"You said that what he lacked was battle experience. I'm not going to lie and say that it was good that you didn't help him, but now we know what he needs to work on. Ichigo...we know that we have done our son wrong. We know that we don't deserve to be his parents. We know that we haven't shown him anything that a parent would...but we can't help but hope. Yoruichi left him a medallion around his neck, the Shihoin emblem. I know that he wears it, I'm sure you saw it too. He doesn't know who we are, yet he holds parts of us close to his heart. When he returns, we will accept whatever he decides to do, whether he acknowledges us or not." Kisuke told the Kurosaki family.

Ichigo looked perplexed. "Explain to me why you can't just go down to the human world the next time we have a mission and tell Naruto who you are to him? Postponing this will only delay the inevitable."

Yoruichi let out a small chuckle. "You know, Retsu told me the same thing when I decided to tell Kisuke about Naruto. Why is it that everyone else gives us such good advice and we never take it?" The question was meant to be rhetorical but Karin answered it anyway.

"It's because the two of you always think you know exactly what you are doing...and then something goes wrong." She deadpanned.

Kisuke pouted. "Karin chan...that's so mean! You wound me!"

Karin scoffed. "Kisuke-jii, you're a liar. But, I'm curious, tell us more about Naruto, and Jinta and Ururu."

Yoruichi thought for a moment before responding. "Hm, well he's seventy nine years old, born on October 10th, he weighed six pounds and six ounces when he was born. He was twenty one inches long, and oh! He has these adorable whisker marks on his cheeks!"

"Whisker marks?" Yuzu asked incredulously.

"Yep, you know how I can turn into a cat yes?" She asked. Everyone nodded. "Well, I think it's because of that...I mean what else could it be?"

"Does that mean that the kid acts like a cat too?" Isshin questioned.

"No, not from what we know...otherwise...it would have been most interesting..." Kisuke mused.

"You guys still haven't answered my question." Ichigo put in rather impatiently.

The pair sighed. "I don't know...we're scared? I know that it's lame...but it's true. I mean take everything that you said about Naruto and reverse it. Will he except us? Will he love us? Will he forgive us? The two of us might have this facade of sheer confidence, but we're both cowards. Me more so than Kisuke. I mean, I didn't even tell him that I was pregnant for Kami's sake! I'm a coward, and I'll admit that."

"Then what do you plan on doing about it?" Isshin asked them. Although these two were his best friends, he couldn't help but be angry at them for not having the balls to claim Naruto.

Stormy eyes met chocolate ones. "We'll trust our son, that's what we'll do. We'll give him all the guidance that we can from the sidelines, and then he'll make his choice."

Isshin looked at Kisuke for a moment before shaking his head. "Listen to yourself Kisuke. This isn't the Urahara Kisuke that I know. This is taking the coward's way out. You're talking about a _child_ here, a child that the both of you have never held a proper conversation with. A child who's been raised by two Shinigamis who are not his parents. A child who doesn't know his parents names yet. And why? Because Yoruichi here was too stubborn to let the kid know. His own mother abandoned him, and refused to tell the kid her name. Now that's cruel...that's too cruel for any child to deal with."

Kisuke's breath caught in his throat. Yoruichi grabbed his hand and looked him full in the face. He could see so many emotions in her golden eyes. Fear, embarrassment, sadness, guilt, and so on.

Isshin placed a hand on both of their shoulders. "I'm sorry that I said this, but based off of what Ichigo told us before about the kid, he's like you Kisuke: he bottles up his emotions. I don't know how he'll react to you guys. Just tell Naruto for Kami's sake. It'll make things so much easier."

They nodded slowly. Ichigo's mind was whirling at all the potential that Naruto carried. He had made his choice. He would train Naruto so that the kid would be able to master his Zanpakuto. In twenty one years, the kid was going to return home. He needed to be prepared. Ichigo didn't give a flying fart on what Kisuke and Yoruichi said. He knew his aunt and uncle too well. They weren't going to tell Naruto whose child he was. No, Ichigo would tell his self proclaimed otouto himself. The only problem was going into the real world...

* * *

><p><strong>Present Time: Konohagakure...With Naruto<strong>

It was that time of month again. The time that Jinta and Naruto hated. It was shopping time. Naruto didn't understand why Jinta disliked it so much. He never went with Naruto anyway. Naruto thought that it was maybe because his brother would have to spend so much time with his sister. Every time Naruto would return from his trips into the village, Jinta always sported a slight limp and claimed he was very sore. It had only been going on for a couple months, but Naruto was concerned for his brother's well being. Ururu had a positively predatory look in her eyes whenever Naruto would go out. He wondered what kind of training they were doing for Jinta to be so exhausted.

These were some of Naruto's thoughts as he walked around the village. Konoha was enjoyable to him. He particularly was intrigued by their _taijutsu_. Over the years, Naruto had watched a boy in an_ extremely_ disturbing green spandex suit practice a style that the green clad boy called _goken_. The style was pure genius, Naruto thought. He loved hiding in the trees and watching the boy train whenever he went into the village. Though the boy was _eccentric_, he was damn good at taijutsu. But now he wasn't a boy anymore. Naruto learned that when the shinobi received their headbands, they became adults in the ninja world. That meant that the kid had been an adult since he was seven, which he had just turned four months ago. The kid also had a rivalry with a strange and stoic masked boy with silver hair that stuck up in all directions. The boy declared the scarecrow like boy his 'eternal rival'. The scarecrow avoided the green blob as much as he could. Naruto couldn't help but feel sorry for the scarecrow. He wouldn't want to be the green shinobi's eternal rival either.

The scarecrow was someone Naruto took a particular interest in, because of who his sensei was. Naruto remembered it like it was yesterday when he had met the energetic fellow blonde known as Namikaze Minato.

**Flashback: nineteen years ago Konohagakure**

Naruto was nervous...very nervous. You see, it would be the boy's first time entering the village. Ururu and Jinta had fallen ill, and Naruto was the only one who was healthy to go into the village. He only looked to be about seven or eight, so the guards wouldn't question him too much. Naruto gulped as he took in the massive gates to the village. Naruto completely hid his reiatsu to make him invisible to the humans. This was one of the first shinigami abilities that he had learned, and he didn't know that he was a shinigami then. Luckily for Naruto, the gates were open, and he slipped right into the village without arousing suspicion.

Naruto gaped at the size of the village. It was huge! There was a big dome shaped building smack dab in the center of the village. It was green. Hmm, it looked like an important place. Naruto dropped the invisibility in an alley and mingled with the crowd. He fit right in. He looked ordinary, and that was fine with him. It wasn't like he wanted to get noticed anyway. Naruto hated crowds, he liked isolation. So he wasn't particularly enjoying his experience in the village so far. Sighing, the shinigami took a deep breath and went to the first stall he could find that held medicine.

"Excuse me madam," He began in his most polite voice. The lady at the counter took one look at him and squealed. "Oh my kami! You must be the cutest thing in the world! What can i do for you, pet?" Her voice made him shudder. It was so high pitched. Naruto cringed as the woman flashed him a grin. He looked up and was taken aback at her appearance. She was a civilian, but she had startling green eyes and pink hair. _Pink._ How could ones hair turn that color?

It took Naruto a couple seconds to regain his voice. "Oh, I'm looking for some medicine. You see, my brother and sister are very ill. And I need something to cure them."

The woman jumped off of the stool she was on and guided him to the area that was filled with various types of medicine. "Okay pet, what symptoms do your brother and sister exhibit?" The pink haired woman asked the blonde.

He cringed when she had called him 'pet'. It was so...grandmotherly.

Now she didn't expect him to know what 'symptoms' or 'exhibit' meant, and was very surprised by his answer. "Well, both my siblings have a very high fever and are constantly coughing and sneezing. This leads me to believe that they either have a virus of some sort, or a bacteria has invaded their bodies and their bodies are fighting it off right now. The color of their phlegm is green, not clear, so they clearly are very sick right now. Their senses are out of whack. Both of them can't really taste or smell anything. But then again, I've heard that it's common when one gets a virus or something."

The pink haired lady was shocked at the boy's extremely intelligent response. In fact, another person was listening intently to their conversation as well. The person leaned against a counter and eyed the blonde with an appraising eye.

"You ever think of being a doctor kid? Konoha needs med-nins anyway."

Naruto and the pink lady turned to look at the person who asked the question. A blonde lady with very big _assets_ had an amused look on her face as she awaited Naruto's response. The lady had blonde hair, maybe a shade darker than Naruto's own. She wore a green vest over a black long-sleeved shirt and matching pants. A headband was wrapped around her forehead. Her chocolate eyes stared into Naruto's stormy ones. To his horror, Naruto found that he was blushing.

"Um..n..no ma'am. I'm just a civilian you see. I could never be a shinobi." Naruto stammered. Even if the woman was younger than him, he was physically and mentally an eight year old.

The pink haired lady took in the woman's appearance with an almost jealous eye. But then she seemed to realize who the woman was and hastily bowed to her before turning back to Naruto. "Hey kid, I don't really think you need me with her around. She can tell you anything about medicine." And with that, the lady sauntered back to the counter.

Naruto just shrugged and turned back to the lady who seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties. "So, do you have a recommendation for any good remedies?" Naruto asked tentatively.

The blonde woman chuckled and pointed out to a bottle. "Here, it's peppermint oil. Rub it on your brother and sister and their fever will come down." She plucked another bottle and put it in Naruto's hands. "This is lemongrass extract. It's soothing for the throat and nose. Make tea, and put a drop of it in their cups. Within a day, their cough and cold will be gone."

Naruto was entranced. When he got sick, which was rare, his siblings forced foul tasting liquid down his throat that made him gag. This was so much better. "Wow! Thanks baa-chan!"

The woman's eye twitched. She had to remind herself that the kid in front of her was a civilian and not a ninja. He was also younger than her by ten years or so. "Gaki...I'm only twenty one, don't call me baa-chan! It's Tsunade, my name is Tsunade!"

"Hai hai, Tsunade...baa-chan." Naruto added slyly as he dodged her enraged figure and quickly bought the items that the woman had suggested. Hmmm. His vision of the village had changed. He was kind of enjoying it here.

After some time, Naruto had many bags in his arms that consisted of things ranging from cough drops to Ururu's feminine products. He wasn't happy when he had bought those. He even had to endure the odd gazes of the women in that store. What...was it every day that a child bought those products for his sister? No?...oh well...in his defense, Naruto wasn't a child per say. But he doubted that the ladies would believe him.

Naruto grunted as he shifted the weight of the bags, They were heavy. He needed to sit down and rest for a few minutes. The blonde looked around and found the perfect place. It was a stall that looked very cozy. The sign on top read _Ichiraku Ramen_. Ramen eh? He had had it a couple times, but it was ridiculously bad for you. Naruto supposed he could splurge today. He walked into the stall and put his bags next to him. It was a quaint little place, something cozy that felt very appealing.

A man came out from the back. He was wearing a white apron over a chef's outfit. "Hello! My name is Ichiraku Teuchi. Welcome to my ramen stall! What would you like?"

_Well, at least he's enthusiastic._ Naruto thought. He scanned the menu. "I'll have a chicken ramen please."

"Coming right up!" Teuchi prepared the ramen right in front of him. Within a few moments, a steaming bowl of ramen was placed before him. Naruto, to his surprise, felt his mouth watering. The aroma was delicious. Teuchi smiled as he saw the content on the boy's face.

Naruto eagerly broke apart his chopsticks and dipped it into the steaming noodles and broth. "Itadekimasu." Grabbing some noodles and chicken, he popped it into his mouth. A moan erupted from him. Oh God. This was too good. Once he started, he couldn't stop. It was just heavenly.

It only took moments for him to devour his bowl. Before he could even ask for more, a larger bowl of miso ramen was in front of him. Naruto simply dipped his chopsticks in it once more and eat at a nearly sickening pace, not even pausing to say thank you.

Teuchi watched the blonde kid eat his ramen ferociously. He smirked slyly. Once someone ate _his_ ramen, they would never eat anywhere else.

Seven bowls later, Naruto was satisfied. He let out a childlike belch and gave Teuchi a very large grin. Naruto's eyes shown in delight. That was the best food that he had eaten in a very long time. It was terrible for you, but it just tasted sooooo good. He was sad to go away from the stall, but his family did need him badly. He put the right amount of cash on the counter and made to leave. But he stopped and reached into one of his bags to pull something else out. It was a flower.

Saying his goodbyes and thank you's, he exited the stall.

Teuchi grinned as he saw how much money he had. He hoped the boy would come back and eat like this all the time. He never would go out of business if the kid came. He saw the flower lying of the counter. "Ayame eh? That's a real nice flower right there." (Ayame means Iris). "Thanks kid. Hmph, I never got his name..."

* * *

><p>Naruto had every intention of leaving Konoha right away, believe me he did. But he just couldn't. It seemed like Kami-sama hated him or something. Right after he had left Ichiraku's a blonde boy had tackled him to the ground. It appeared as if the blonde was being chased by a fiery red-head.<p>

All of his bags split open, and the contents were splayed everywhere. The red head and the blonde had paused in their romp and stopped to see what had happened. The red head, whose name was Kushina, had quickly blamed the mess on the blonde, and then left to get more bags for Naruto. The blonde, named Minato, had apologized over and over again and helped Naruto pick up his things. Kushina had come over quickly with the bags, and helped put the contents back into the bag and left, but not before giving Minato the finger and running off.

Now Naruto was stuck with a blonde kid of about five years old trailing behind him, making sure that the older blonde wouldn't be too mad at him.

"Are you sure you're not mad?" Minato asked in a tearful tone.

Naruto clenched his teeth. If the kid kept asking him, he _might_ get a little angry. "I'm sure kid. Go home now."

"I can't. I have to make sure you're not mad." Minato shook his head adamantly.

By now, the two had arrived at a deserted training ground that no shinobi frequented. Naruto whirled around and his eyes flashed golden for a second. Minato cowered under the older boy's frightening glare.

"Listen kid, I forgave you the first ten times you asked me. So please, just leave me alone!" Naruto was generally a very composed person, but the little kid was pushing his buttons a bit too far. But Naruto instantly regretted it when he saw the kid was nearly in tears.

Minato wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall. _I won't cry...I won't cry...I won't cry._ He repeated it over and over again in his head.

Naruto felt guilt bubble up through him. Gently, he set down his bags and went over to Minato. Minato recoiled when Naruto touched his shoulder, like he was afraid to get hit. Naruto bent down till he was eye level with the five year old.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so harsh with you." Naruto said in a reassuring tone. Minato sniffled a few times and looked at Naruto with his big blue eyes. Naruto noted the similarities between his face and Minato's. Naruto could have been mistaken as Minato's older brother or something.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have been so annoying." Minato said, blowing his nose on his sleeve.

Naruto grimaced and gave the boy a tissue that he accepted graciously. He knew that he would be stuck with the boy for some more time. It was best to make good of this situation. Naruto sat down on the grass and motioned for Minato to do the same.

"So, where are your parents?" Naruto asked.

Minato's eyes became shadowed by his bangs."They died when I was two in a shinobi fight. I live in the orphanage now." The boy sadly told the other blonde.

Naruto sighed and patted the boy on the head. "I'm sorry. I don't know my parents either."

Minato looked at Naruto with wide eyes. "Really? So do you live in an orphanage too?"

Naruto laughed at Minato's expression. "Nope, I live outside of Konoha with my brother and sister. My parents are alive...they just...it's kind of complicated."

Minato nodded sagely. "I see. That's how I would describe my relationship with Kushina. It's complicated."

"I'm guessing this Kushina is the girl that was chasing you around?"

"Uh huh. She only came to the village a couple months ago and she lives in the Senju compound." Naruto had no idea what that meant but didn't interrupt the boy. "Apparently she's related to them. Kushina, I think she hates me. But when I see her, I feel lightheaded. I think it's because she punches me so much, it affects my mind or something."

Naruto could barely keep his laughter in check. Oh god, that was rich. The five year old was in love and he didn't even know it!

"Oh yeah, that's probably it." Naruto agreed with the younger blonde. Minato couldn't catch the amusement in Naruto's voice.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked Minato all of a sudden.

Minato scrambled to his feet quickly and gave Naruto a traditional bow. "Namikaze Minato!"

In the same fashion, Naruto rose to his feet and bowed back. "Naruto. My name's Naruto."

"I like your name. It means maelstrom." Minato said wisely.

Naruto was really starting to like the kid. Usually when people heard his name, they thought it meant fishcake. It figures that children would understand the true meaning of it.

"I like your name too Minato. Namikaze eh, that's like wave and wind together. It makes me think of an ocean on a windy day. And Minato means port. Your name has everything to do with the sea."

Minato's electric blue eyes lit up. "Did you know that Kushina's last name is Uzumaki? That means whirlpool! We're connected or something!" Minato exclaimed.

Naruto sweatdropped. Did the kid realize that everything he said related back to this Kushina. A match made in heaven, as one might call it. "Really? So do you like this girl or something?"

Minato just gaped at Naruto. "Do I like her? She's so scary." His voice dropped an octave. "I think she wants to kill me." Minato confessed. "But you know something? For some reason I really like it when she hits me."

Naruto stifled the laughter that was threatening to spill out. "Oh?" He choked out. "Good luck with her!"

For some more time, Minato and Naruto talked about random things like the sky, clouds, and ramen. The two blondes had bonded over the fact that they loved Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto promised Minato that the next time he was in the village, he would treat Minato to all the ramen he wanted. Needless to say, Minato was eagerly awaiting Naruto's next trip.

It was around 5:07 that Minato remembered he needed to be in the orphanage before 5:10 otherwise the owners would make the kids go without dinner. There was no way that he could run all the way back to the place in three minutes.

"Naruto! What am I going to do?" Minato wailed.

Naruto pondered it for a moment before picking Minato up. Naruto may have looked to be around nine, but he was strong enough to pick the small boy up. "Grab on to me and close your eyes. Don't worry, I'll get you there on time. I promise."

Minato nodded and closed his eyes, latching onto Naruto's shirt. Taking a deep breath, Naruto vanished in a great burst of speed. He had seen where the orphanage was while he had entered the village and knew exactly where to go.

"Open your eyes, Minato." Naruto gently said. Minato did so and stared at Naruto in wonder. He was at the orphanage! And it wasn't time to go in yet.

"Naruto! How did you do that?" Minato asked him in an awe filled voice.

Naruto chuckled at the kid's admiration for him. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" He asked in a serious voice.

Minato stood up straight and saluted Naruto. "I promise."

"Alright then. I got you here so quick like this." Faster than Minato could see, Naruto was behind him, and then in front of him again. "It's called _shunpo_" Naruto explained.

"Woah! That was so cool!" Minato squealed. (It's not odd for a five year old to squeal)

"But you can't tell anyone, okay?"

"Of course not!" Minato yelled. It was 5:09. He had one minute to walk through that door. "I've decided something Naruto! I'm going to be an amazing shinobi and come up with a technique that's even faster than the shunpo!" Minato declared, pumping his fist in the air.

Naruto grinned and ruffled the kid's hair. "I'm sure you will Minato, and I'll be watching you. Remember that." Before Minato could even respond, Naruto had vanished.

* * *

><p>Naruto chuckled at the memories that he was reliving. He knew Minato had accomplished that. Minato had invented his famous <em>Hiraishin no Jutsu<em>, and it was on par with shunpo, if not faster. From what Naruto had heard, the third Shinobi War had finished, and Minato was the hero of the war. He had also heard how Minato's jutsu had saved Konoha. Kushina had also made quite a big impact as well. She was nicknamed "The Red-Hot Habanero." She was always the angry one. Naruto was proud that he had helped shape such an amazing shinobi.

As he passed Ichiraku Ramen, he saw Teuchi holding a small baby. He had been to Ichiraku's a couple times when he was in Konoha, each time spending a very good amount of money.

Naruto decided to go over to ramen stall and ask him who the baby was. Hopefully, Teuchi wouldn't recognize him.

"Yo, I was just passing by and saw the baby. May I ask what her name is?" Naruto inquired politely.

Teuchi gave Naruto a quizzical look. "Do I know you?"

"No, but perhaps you would no my uncle. He said that he used to come here quite often whenever he entered the village." Naruto lied smoothly.

Teuchi's face lit up in recognition. "Ah yes, that blonde boy you used to come here and eat nearly ten bowls each time. Where is he now?"

Naruto kept a straight face throughout his little fib. "My uncle died some years ago in an accident involving some Iwa ninjas."

Teuchi gasped slightly and looked at the boy in sympathy. He held the baby out in his arms for Naruto to see. "Her name is Ayame. Actually, I believe I named her because your uncle gave me a flower the first time he ate here. It was an iris. And ever since then, the name _Ayame_ just stuck. So I promised myself, if I have a daughter, her name would be Ayame,."

Naruto remembered giving the iris to Teuchi and was struck on how one act of kindness would resonate so much in a person's mind. He stroked the gurgling baby's hair and watched as she leaned into his touch.

"What's your name, by the way. I never learned your uncle's name, so I might start with yours." Teuchi asked him suddenly.

"Naruto, my name's Naruto sir."

"Well Naruto, I think I may have just the thing for you. Sit down and hold Ayame. I'll be right back." Teuchi gently placed the baby into Naruto's arms and went to go get something from the storage room.

Naruto let Ayame play with his fingers. She sucked on them with her gums. Naruto tickled Ayame's tummy making an odd sound to come out of her. It wasn't laughter, but it was more like a pleasured gurgle.

Teuchi came back to see his daughter pulling on the blonde's hair _very _hard. But the blonde didn't seem to mind. He just encouraged the girl to keep going. Teuchi leaned against his counter and smiled at the familial sight he saw.

"Hm, the way I see things you might just take Ayame away from me." Teuchi chortled.

Naruto looked up with an amused smile on his face. "I might just do that. So, what is it that you wanted to give me?"

Teuchi raised a bag in his hand. "Here, Narutos for Naruto." Naruto looked into the bag and saw a heap of tiny white fishcakes. He saw the grin on Teuchi's face and sweatdropped. Why did everyone have to make fun of his name?

Sighing, he accepted the bag and gave Ayame back to Teuchi. "Yes yes, I know I have a funny name. I curse my mother every time someone insinuates that it means _fishcake_." He spit out the last word in amusing distaste.

The elder Ichiraku guffawed at the young man's dislike of his name. "I'm sure your mother named you _maelstrom_ and not fishcake."

"Let's hope." Naruto mumbled. "Anyway, I should be going. My brother and sister want me to shop for supplies. Thanks Teuchi-san. I'll come back soon to try some of your delicious ramen."

"Come back soon." Teuchi waved to the blonde boy. As soon as Naruto was out of the stall, he dropped his hand and frowned slightly. _Naruto, I know that you're the same boy who came into my store for the first time nineteen years ago. It's impossible for you to have that big of a resemblance to this 'uncle' of yours. I didn't even tell you my name and you knew it. Whoever you are, whatever you are, I thank you. My daughter's name comes from you. I just wished you would tell me the secret to your eternal youth...I'm only 38 and I already have wrinkles..._

* * *

><p>Naruto whistled a nameless tune as he walked down the road with his bag of fishcakes. Some people looked at him a little oddly, but continued on their way.<p>

Naruto made his way to the market. He took out a list from his pocket. He looked over everything that he needed.

_Ururu and Jinta's list of supplies:_

_Fish-salmon and trout_

_2 pounds of broccoli, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage and carrots_

_Herbs and spices-you know which ones  
><em>

_Rice-ten pounds_

_Oolong tea-the kind we like_

_Beef-get the less expensive stuff_

_Do NOT get chicken_

_Peppermint oil and Lemongrass extract (two bottles of each)_

_Green tea leaves_

_Anything else you want (not ramen)_

_Stay as long as you need to, just come home for dinner  
><em>

Jeez, his siblings were such nags sometimes. He walked over to the nearest vender and showed her the list. He rubbed his head in embarrassment when she gave his an odd look. "I'm sorry. Could you just tell me where I can find all of this?"

She directed him to all places he needed to go. Naruto was always a very efficient shopper. He didn't dawdle like Jinta and Ururu. All of his supplies were bought in less than half an hour. He was quite happy at the moment. He had some time to leisurely enjoy the surroundings of Konoha without anyone to bother him. He would just drop off the supplies at home and roam around.

Naruto screwed his eyes in concentration, and let his reiatsu out. His shinigami form was much less of a hassle than his human one. To the civilians walking along the street, they did doubletakes, trying to find the blonde who had seemingly vanished in thin air. In the end, they thought that he was a very young shinobi shopping on his days off.

Naruto snickered when he saw the confused looks on people's faces. Oh the joys of being invisible to normal humans was great. A couple people did look his way...but they just ignored him and went on with their business.

Naruto compressed his reiatsu and let it out in a great burst of speed, taking off in the direction of his house. He loved shunpo. He loved feeling the great rush of adrenaline that coursed through his body as he raced onwards, feeling the wind through his hair, and the ground under his feet.

He saw his cottage come in sight. Not even bothering to go inside, he simply left the bags of groceries at the front step and shunpoed to his favorite place, the pond that was about 100 meters from his house.

Whenever he had spare time, he would come to this pond. The crystal clear water was beautiful, and made Naruto marvel at the beauty of his surroundings. He had been coming here more often because it also reminded him of his mind-scape, which he had discovered the year prior. His Zanpakuto's name was still unknown to him, however slowly, he felt that he was getting close to unraveling it. Jinta had told him that he had learned his Zanpakuto's name through meditation.

Naruto didn't have to do that. According to his Zanpakuto, the name would come to Naruto when he was ready. To make sure that they were thoroughly acquainted, the man with the reddish-blonde hair and the slitted golden eyes made it a point to influence Naruto's dreams every so often. They weren't so bad all the time. His zanpakuto usually put him in situations where he had to think to get out of. Like: Slowly sinking in a pit of quicksand...how can he possibly get out? Or...being trapped in the jaws of a man eating shark...or being chased by seven million fan girls. He didn't know what fan girls were...but he shuddered thinking about the girls who chased after him in those kinds of dreams. His zanpakuto had a very twisted sense of humor. But they were decent dreams. In each dream, he had to come up with a strategy to get out of his situation. For example, in the fan girl dream, he would use a bakudo strong enough to bind them all. Or he would use a hado to obliterate them...either one worked well.

Naruto liked his zanpakuto very much. It was like him in a way-lazy unless provoked. Ururu had said that some zanpakuto and their wielders didn't get along, but Naruto wasn't concerned about that. His Zanpakuto was him...and if he couldn't get along with himself...then there was a serious problem. Because their thoughts seemed to coincide to well, Naruto and the sword got along swimmingly.

In addition to his zanpakuto, he adored his mind-scape as well. It had evolved slightly. The normally stormy sky had taken on a lighter shade...somewhat. The sky was dependent on his emotions. The more angry or annoyed he was feeling, the darker it got. The happier he was, the more the storm clouds seem to vanish, however he had never seen even a ray of sunshine. When he asked his sword about this, his sword had replied that this was his true self. The sky would never become sunny because of who he was.

Naruto was snapped out of his musings by a small squirrel landing on his head and scampering off. Seriously? Did the animals not realize that he was right there? Shaking his head, he stared into the rich blue water, watching some Koi fish jump in and out of it. A grin appeared on his face. Nature fascinated Naruto to no extent. If there was a God, he or she truly was a genius for creating such a beautiful landscape. He was extremely happy that Ururu and Jinta had decided to settle here.

Slowly, he drifted off to sleep under the Sakura tree that he adored. Although the petals did remind him of those pink haired banshees that he did see walking around Konoha fawning all over Minato, the Sakura tree was his symbol of peace. And he enjoyed that peace. His eyelids drooped and he entered the blissful island that was his mind.

_Hello Naruto, welcome back. It's been quite sometime since you last entered here. _His conscience gently drifted down towards him. His conscience wasn't a person, it didn't have a gender, yet Naruto could feel it, sense it. It was like a companion._  
><em>

"It's been three days you know. That's not all that long." Naruto told it.

_Ah yes. But in three days so much could have happened. A tsunami could have torn this place apart._

Naruto surveyed the area. Same stormy sky, same isolated island, and same golden water. Nothing seemed out of place. "And did it?"

_No._

"Then everything's alright."

_Are you sure about that?_ His conscience suddenly asked in a serious tone.

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned back, slightly concerned.

_Take a closer look. Is everything truly alright?_

Puzzled, the blonde looked into the water only to see his own reflection. Blinking a couple times, he tried to find where his spirit had went. Never had he seen his own image in the water. It was always the sword that was there. Naruto tried to take a closer look when he saw something. A glint of golden/red caught his eye above him. Was that...hair? No...Naruto looked closer. It wasn't hair. It looked like...a piece of clothing-a cape or something. Looking up, he saw the amused face of his zanpakuto staring down on him while sitting on one of the storm clouds high above him.

Naruto gaped at the figure in shock. Never once had the sentient sword ever come out of the water...what had changed?

_You changed Naruto...and that's why this place changed..._

"Y...y...y..you...I mean...we can talk face to face now?" The blonde asked incredulously.

The zanpakuto hopped off the cloud and landed gracefully in front of Naruto. "Well we talked 'face to face' in the water didn't we? The only thing you could see of me was my face after all."

Naruto frowned at the man in front of him. "So...does this mean anything?"

The man's deep voice turned slightly annoyed as he put on his 'lecture tone' as Naruto liked to call it. "Everything happens for a reason here. So yes. This means that you're evolving. You've grown as a person in the last year that we've met. Those dreams that you've been having, well they've been like pre-training for the real thing. If it's one thing you lack, it's battle experience. You have the basic skills down, but you have no way of utilizing it."

Naruto grinned in understanding. "So you're going to train me in my mind eh?"

"Exactly." The sword concurred. "Your growth has proved to us that you are ready to develop your sword and finally learn my name. Though these two things must be done on your own, I will be here to give you guidance as well."

Naruto accepted this. He was glad that finally the time would come for him to become a true shinigami. "So how will this training proceed?"

"Little by little, in your mind, I will begin to train you in the way of the sword. You are decent in hand to hand combat, so you and I will spar. Mind you, this training is not easy, and actually somewhat reminiscent of bankai training. Yet once this is over, I promise you, that the results will be better than you could have hoped for." The zanpakuto smirked slightly sadistically, revealing his pointy canines.

Naruto gulped at the man's tone. He was quite an intimidating figure. Now that he was out of the water, Naruto could see that his zanpakuto was garbed in royal looking red and gold robes. His hair, which was the same color, was cropped short, much like Naruto's own hair. The man's bangs fell out over his eyes. He wore black boots with a black belt wrapped around his waist. If Naruto didn't know who he was, he would swear that he was royalty or something.

"When do we start?" Naruto asked apprehensively.

"Tonight. Be ready for some intense training my wielder, for I am going to make mincemeat out of your pathetic blonde body." With that said, the man dissolved into nothingness. Naruto looked around, trying to find his blade, but to no avail. It seemed as though the man had become one with the sky, judging by the reddish hue it had taken on. Great, he was going to start training with a sadistic bastard. Hell was going to shit on itself when his blade started training him.

_Now now Naruto, it's not nice to call people names you know. _Came the ever present voice of his conscience.

Naruto scowled at the invisible presence. "Aw shut up."

_You're telling yourself to shut up. I believe that you are in need of a psychological examination._

Naruto sweatdropped at the irony of that statement. "I'm just going to wake up now."

_Do what you want. We'll see you tonight._

Naruto frowned and slowly came back to his senses. Opening his eyes, he found that the sky in the real world had turned nearly the same color as the sky in his mind. Had he been talking to himself for that long? Sighing, he stood up and took the short walk back to his house. As he neared it, he smelled the delicious aroma of beef stew coming towards him. His stomach grumbled loudly. It was then that he was reminded that he had not eaten lunch.

In a great burst of speed, he flew into the house and stopped right near the kitchen. "Tadaima!" He yelled, sprinting into the room. The first thing he saw was Ururu giving him an exasperated look. Jinta was leaning against the wall, watching the woman cook. His eyes snapped to Naruto and an amused grin filled his face. "Where have you been kiddo?" The red haired man asked, ruffling the blonde's hair.

Naruto scowled and ducked before his brother could mess up his hair any further. "I was conversing with my elusive sword spirit."

This tweaked the two elder shinigami's interests. "Oh really...and?" Ururu asked, turning around from the sword.

"He's going to start training me from tonight onwards-when I'm sleeping." Naruto replied, setting the table.

"Naruto...set one more plate down. We have a guest coming tonight." Jinta said.

The blonde looked up from whatever he was doing, quite surprised. "Seriously? We've never had a guest over...and you invite this person over now?"

"What's wrong Naruto, aren't you happy to see me?" A voice behind Naruto said. It was a very familiar voice, one that he hadn't heard for a long time.

Naruto stared wide eyed at his brother and sister, waiting for confirmation that their guest was who he thought it was. They simply nodded, grinning at Naruto's starstruck expression.

The blonde boy slowly turned around to see a man he hadn't seen in a year. It was the same man who had saved him from death. The orange haired shinigami with the kick-ass sword who Naruto knew as 'Ichigo-Aniki' had his arms crossed over his chest, looking down at Naruto with a twinkle in his eye. A smile adorned his face.

"Ichigo-aniki?" Naruto asked tentatively. Ichigo simply came up to Naruto and ruffled his hair affectionately. "It's been a while hasn't it, Naruto?"

Naruto didn't speak, he simply stared at him. "B...bu...but, you're here? With us?" He stammered.

Ichigo sat down in a vacant chair. Ururu ladled some stew into his bowl and he thanked her graciously. "Yeah. It turns out that the Sou-taichou, Yamamoto jiji has taken a liking to you Naruto...and he wants me to come here every so often to make sure that you're okay and that you're training is going well." The orange haired man said conversationally. "Itadekimasu." He muttered before taking a bite of his steaming hot stew.

By now, everyone had sat down and was eating. However Ururu and Jinta gaped at the younger man. "Are you serious?" Jinta asked incredulously. "The sou-taichou knows about Naruto? But that means that he knows about us too..."

Ichigo took another bite of his stew and set his spoon down. "He does. He told me the entire story. Truth be told, the man's not as bad as he portrays himself to be. He offered to train Naruto when you guys come back, which will be in twenty years."

"Why the hell didn't anyone bother to mention that fact to us?" Jinta roared.

"That's kind of why I'm here right? The old man said that I should inform the three of you of his decision. " Ichigo deadpanned. "Naruto...I'm assuming you know who Yamamoto is?"

Naruto, who was confused up until now nodded. "Yeah, he's the captain of the first division, and supreme commander of the Gotei 13. He's also the creator of it, and the oldest shinigami."

"Correct." Ichigo affirmed in a pleased voice. "Do you know anything about the other captains?"

Naruto shook his head. "Besides the man named Zaraki Kenpachi, not really. I mean I know some of them. Like, Unohana Retsu is captain of the fourth division, which is in charge of medicine. And there's another blonde guy named Hirako Shinji who's the captain of the fifth division. At first I thought that he was my dad...because of the blonde hair and all, but then when nee-chan and nii-chan told me about his personality, it was impossible. That man couldn't possibly be my father. Oh, and of course there's the fact that my parents are captains themselves." He added the last part rather bitterly.

Ichigo gave the boy a sympathetic look. "Look Naruto, I know both of your parents very well. And let me tell you, they're acting like complete idiots when it comes to you. It's been eighty years and you don't know your own _parents _names. I mean, they know everything about you, yet all you know is that the two of them are captains. It's not fair to you. My dad, Kurosaki Isshin, is the captain of the third division and also a distant relative of your dad's. He's a close friend of your mom and your dad. I say...to hell with that. What's so wrong in knowing your parents names? It's not like your going to go blurting it out to every shinigami you see!"

Naruto remained silent throughout Ichigo's short rant/speech. Ururu and Jinta looked slightly ashamed of themselves that they hadn't thought of it in that way. All those years, they had thought that they were protecting Naruto, but in reality, they were probably making the boy hate his unknown parents even more.

"So...can you tell me?" Naruto asked so low that Ichigo had to strain to hear him. The orange haired man smirked. "Well _I'm _not going to tell you because you're going to figure it out all by yourself."

Naruto looked puzzled. "How am I supposed to do that?" He asked quizzically.

Ichigo's smirk widened. "Simple. I'm going to describe all of the captains, and then you tell me who you think your parents are. it's more fun than me simply telling you."

Naruto simply gaped at the odd man, as did the other two in the room. "You can't be serious?" Naruto half asked half exclaimed. Inwardly he hoped it was true though.

The orange haired man reclined in his chair in a relaxed position. "I'm dead serious. I don't give a shit about what the others say. It's your right to know who your parents are...so that you can give them a thorough chewing out later."

Naruto clasped his hands together in a folded position and looked at the older man in excitement. "I agree. So, do we want to do this now...or after desert?"

"Hm, I rather like Ururu-san's Ichigo Daifuku, so let's have us some cake!" He pumped his fist in the air, acting very childish for someone about 320 years old.

-0-0-0-0-

Twenty minutes later, the four of them were situated in the tiny living room. Ichigo patted his stomach in content. "Oh boy Ururu-san, that was good. I'll have to ask Yuzu to make it again soon. Now then Naruto. I'm going to describe each of the captains, excluding the ones you know can't be your parents. So that would be Kenpachi, Yamamoto, Shinji, and my dad. The captain of the 10th division is no longer with us as well. Ever since then, the 10th division is captain-less. That leaves eight possible candidates. So, are you ready?"

The boy's face was calm and collected. When Naruto was faced with a problem, he never panicked. He thought about everything with a clear head, something that he had inherited from Kisuke.

"The first person I'm going to talk to you about is the captain of the thirteenth division, Ukitake Juushiro. Ukitake-taichou is probably one of the nicest people you can meet in Seireitei. Though he comes from a lesser noble family, like me, he is very humble and extremely respectful of everyone. He is one of the only people in Seireitei to wield a double sword, which means that he has two zanpakutos. This is very rare, and it means the person is very strong. He also has tuberculosis which turned his hair stark white. He loves little children...not in a weird way though. Other than that, I can tell you that he was trained by the sou-taichou himself along with the captain of the eighth division, Kyoraku Shinsui. Those two are some of the oldest taichous in the Gotei 13. Do you have all that?"

Naruto nodded and interlaced his fingers together, resting his chin on top of them. The man, Ukitake Juushiro did seem like the fatherly type, but it didn't seem likely that he was his father. If the man loved children so much then he would have come running down to get them ASAP. Actually scratch that, he couldn't be his father. His father was supposed to be related to Ichigo's dad which meant that they were pretty close. Ichigo's tone towards someone Juushiro was that of respect, it wasn't the way you would describe someone who was like an uncle to you.

"Good then. On to the next captain. His name is Kyoraku Shinsui, best friend to Ukitake Juushiro. He's the head of the eighth division and has been a captain for a very long time. He also has a double zanpakuto. He also comes from a lesser noble clan. The man is kind of girlish in a manly way." Everyone sweatdropped at his explanation. Ichigo sighed and continued. "What I mean is that he wears this ridiculous pink flowery thing over his shinigami robes and haori. It creeps me out sometimes. The man's pretty lazy, and loves to drink. Even though he seems kind of...I dunno...unreliable...he's a damn good captain. You never want to cross his bad side...ever."

Naruto immediately crossed him off the list. There was no way in hell that this person was his dad. Even if he actually seemed like a nice guy, their personalities didn't match.

"Then there's Unohana Retsu, captain of the fourth division. That's the division that deals with medical things. She usually has a very neutral face, with a perpetual smile plastered on, but when she's provoked...well it's like a volcano and an earthquake had a baby. It's fifteen million times worst than when Kyoraku gets mad. She's generally a sweet and caring person, and is excellent friends with the captain of the second division."

Naruto pondered on the woman for some time. She seemed like a viable candidate, but he wasn't so sure.

"Next we have captain of the twelfth division...Urahara Kisuke." Naruto stiffened at that name. It seemed so familiar, so nostalgic...perhaps he was the one...

Ichigo, Ururu, and Jinta watched the boy's reaction subtly. They saw as he stiffened at the name. Interesting. Ichigo tried to keep his tone as casual as possible as he talked. "Right, so he's the head and founder of the Research and Development department in Seireitei."

A light bulb went off in the kid's head. Thirty years ago, when Ururu and Jinta had told him somewhat about his parents, Jinta had started to say that his dad was the head of something. This was it!

"He's also of noble blood, but again, it's a lesser clan. The man's considered the smartest person in Seireitei, a genius if you will. His hobby is creating stuff, like right now, he's developing something called a 'gigai' which is a faux body. Urahara Kisuke is possibly the laziest captain in the Gotei 13 as well. He has this lazy, overly friendly personality that is kind of creepy to tell you the truth." Ichigo finished, carefully examining the boy. He nearly smiled when he saw the gears churning in the mini-Kisuke's head. Naruto knew all right.

Naruto fought to keep his same calm face on. He wanted to burst out into hysterical laughter right then and there. Eighty years...eighty years he had been denied his parents' names and now a near stranger was telling them. He could have jumped up and hugged Ichigo. So his dad's name was Urahara Kisuke eh? Head of the Research and Development division. That was pretty awesome! He seriously wanted these twenty years to go by fast.

"Go on." Naruto managed to say in a straight voice.

Ichigo merely chuckled and continued. "Right, so after Urahara Kisuke, we have the captain of the sixth division, Kuchiki Byakuya. He's a stickler for the rules, that he is. You see, the Kuchiki is one of the four noble families. The sixth division has always had a Kuchiki as a captain...rather strange really. Kuchiki...well, I'm not his biggest fan. But that's alright. He's strong, just a bit too cocky."

Naruto listened to the man's explanation without much thought. He already knew who his father was. He didn't need to know any needless information.

"Right, so next we have captain of the Second Division, Shihoin Yoruichi."

Naruto's heart sped up. This was the other name that felt familiar to him. The Shihoin medal around his neck heated up slightly as his reiatsu flared. "Shihoin Yoruichi, in addition to being the captain of the second division is also the leader of the Onmitsukido. I'm assuming you know what they are."

Naruto nodded. "One of the three branches in the military. The Shihoin clan always run them."

Ichigo smiled his confirmation and went on. "Exactly. She is known as the 'Goddess of Flash,' known for her immense beauty and amazing flash-step. Her hand to hand combat is something else. She prefers to fight, not with her zanpakuto, but with her bare hands. She's damn strong...too strong maybe." Ichigo shivered slightly. "Anyway, she's part of the Shihoin clan, which is another one of the four noble clans of Seireitei. Currently, she's the 22nd head of her clan, and the first female to do so."

Naruto nearly gasped out in shock. That wasn't possible! This woman...his mother without a doubt, was the head of a noble clan. Which meant that he was actually the heir to the Shihoin clan! So...he was nobility of the highest pedigree as well? Now he kind of understood why his mom couldn't claim him. For the head of a clan to have a son without being married first...it was unheard of and disgraceful. How would his parents claim him now?

"Yoruichi-taichou is best friends with Kisuke-taichou. In fact, Kisuke-taichou was adopted into the Shihoin clan when his father died. His father and her father were something akin to brothers. The Shihoin clan elders decided that they couldn't have the son of one of their closest allies fall into the wrong hands, so they took him in as their own. From that day on, those two have been inseparable. Kisuke-taichou was actually Yoruichi-taichou's subordinate for some time before becoming a taichou himself 80 years ago. They then- "

"Stop...just stop..." Naruto commanded. Ichigo looked at him with an odd expression.

"Are you trying to make is obvious to me? I thought this was supposed to be a game?" Naruto's stormy eyes looked into Ichigo's chocolate ones. The amusement and excitement were present in both of their eyes. Ururu and Jinta looked at the two of them before bursting into wide grins.

"What ever did I do?" Ichigo asked innocently while not attempting to hide his beaming face.

Naruto burst into hysterical laughter. "You are the best aniki in the world! Oh kami! I think I could hug you right now!"

Jinta put on a fake hurt expression. "Naruto! You don't even know Ichigo, you've met him all of two times. What about me...the person who changed you dirty, stinky diapers for so many years. The person who fed you, and bathed you, and burped you? The person who told you about Soul Society! How could you forget about me...your brother!" The red headed man sniveled pathetically.

Ururu bopped him over the head in exasperation. "Oh shut up. In the thirty years that Naruto has known about Seireitei, it never occurred to us that we could have bypassed Yoruichi-taichou's orders and told him about his parents this way. I think Ichigo is the better aniki here."

Said man grinned widely. "So Naruto...does this mean that you know who your parents are?"

The blonde boy took out the medal from around his neck and examined it carefully. "So this is the Shihoin emblem?" He answered Ichigo's question with one of his own.

The man's grin was threatening to split his face apart. "What do you think?"

"I think that my parents are Urahara Kisuke, and Shihoin Yoruichi." Naruto replied while still examining the medallion.

"I believe that you are correct my boy."

"Please don't call me 'my boy', you sound like an old grandpa or something" The blonde deadpanned. He looked up at all of them. His bangs didn't cover his eyes anymore. Everyone could see the pure joy he was radiating. A soft smile of satisfaction completed his content visage. It was the first time that Ururu and Jinta truly saw Naruto so happy.

"So, do you want to know some more about them?" Ichigo asked.

"Do you even have to ask that question? I want to know everything about them. And some extra stuff too...for blackmail." Naruto nearly cackled.

Ichigo stared at the boy for a moment before thoughtfully saying, "You know, I think you may have inherited some Kurosaki genes from your dad's side or something. For a minute there, you sounded exactly like my dad..." The man shook his head. "Alright. Where to begin with those two...how about we start with how you were conceived eh?"

Naruto paled, all the joy was gone from his face. "Do we have to?"

A twisted expression came upon the man's face. "Well you wanted to know _everything_ didn't you. What better way to start than by detailing how you were born."

"I'd rather not...thanks." Naruto looked slightly green.

"Too late kid. So did you know that you were the result of a semi-drunken night between your parents..."

-0-0-0-0-

Half an hour later...Naruto felt that he was scarred for life. True he now knew about his parents, but the way Ichigo had described some things...it made him question his parents' sanity. Like his mother for example. He learned that she could take a cat like appearance at will. Ichigo told him the story of how when he had been training for bankai, Yoruichi had been the one to oversee his training. To increase his focus, she had randomly switched out of her cat form and into her human (shinigami) one. Now imagine seeing you aunt like figure going from a cat to voluptuous woman in less than two seconds...there was only so much a young man's body could withstand. And to Ichigo's horror, Kisuke was beside her as well, looking on in amusement at his pseudo-nephew's terrible predicament.

Next he had learned that his father wanted to test out his new invention, so he used it on Isshin. This was when Kisuke wasn't a captain yet, and Masaki and Isshin had just gotten engaged. It turns out that the invention was something that would increase male..._ahem_ performance significantly. Two weeks afterwards, Masaki had announced that she was pregnant. Needless to say, the wedding, which was planned for the following August was bumped up. And nine months later, Ichigo was born.

Naruto wondered why Ichigo was telling him these stories. It was bad enough finding out that he was the result of a 'semi-drunken' night as Ichigo called it, but all these other things? He didn't really want to know about them. Though, not everything was weird. He learned that his dad was actually really shy around people, and hated large crowds, much like Naruto himself. His mother, though unintentionally, always drew the crowd to her with her unnatural good looks. She had violet hair, tanned skin, and golden eyes. His dad, he wasn't plain looking, yet he hid his body under his over sized robes so he looked very unassuming. Naruto had inherited his blonde hair and stormy eyes from his father. From his mother, he had gotten his playful attitude, and those whisker marks. In the back of his mind, the blonde wondered if he too would be able to turn into a cat on whim.

Ichigo stood up and stretched. It was past eight o'clock. "Well then Naruto, Ururu-san, Jinta-san. I should get going. The sou-taichou said to be back before nine. He's going to open the Senkaimon for me as soon as I give him the signal."

"I'm still amazed that the sou-taichou actually is the person who set all of this up." Ururu commented.

"I couldn't believe it either, but the man who portrays himself to be the bad guy is actually looking out for all of you. Did you know that he's been stopping hollow attacks in this area so that you wouldn't be affected?"

The two elder shinigamis gasped. "Seriously? When we return, we've got to thank him!" Jinta said, in his mind thanking the wizened shinigami profusely.

"Right, so I'm going to leave now. Naruto...if I don't see you again, we'll meet in twenty years. And if I do, then you owe me a couple of spars. Now I know that you're doing some Zanpakuto training of your own. Remember, trusting your zanpakuto means that you trust yourself. The best thing you can do it listen to him or her. These are the words that Zangetsu told me. I was a bit of a hothead back in the day, and thought I could do everything on my own."

"You still are." Jinta muttered. Ichigo shot the older man a glare. "What I'm trying to say is, keep a cool levelheaded mind. It's the best thing you can do for yourself. Though, with parents like yours, I don't think that'll be a problem."

Naruto glowed when Ichigo compared him to his parents. It felt _right_. "I promise Ichigo-aniki. I won't lose my temper."

The man smiled and gave one last hair-ruffle to Naruto. With a quick hug to his elders, he vanished using shunpo. They all felt a flare of reiatsu momentarily, then it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Naruto sighed and plopped back down onto the couch. "Today's been a _very_ eventful day, don't you think?"

His two companions nodded and sat down beside him. Ururu stroked Naruto's soft golden locks in a lulling motion. "Are you okay, Naruto?" She finally inquired.

The boy looked his sister in the eye. "To tell you the truth, I'm a little better than okay. I'm inwardly jumping for joy. After so long, I know who my parents are. I can't really forgive them for leaving me, but I guess I can kind of understand why mom did it. I understand what would have been subjected of me if I stayed. I...I just wish she would come and visit you know? And dad too. It's weird calling people I don't even know mom and dad...but I really want my parents." Naruto simply put his head on Ururu's lap. Jinta tickled the boy's feet causing him to squirm.

"Well, I suppose we can tell you now...the truth is, you're mom and dad have visited you, your mom more so than your dad. On your birthdays, she would come into your room when you were fast asleep and talk to you, just talk. We would here it coming from our rooms. She would tell you about her life, how much she misses you, how much she loves you, and so on. Your dad's seen you once or twice. He practically cried when he did. Naruto, though you might not be able to forgive them, know this: they love you, more then their own lives." The red head told the boy softly.

Naruto was quiet. He took in his brother's explanation with a pang in his heart. His dad had cried?

Ururu felt her pants begin to moisten. She looked down to see her blonde brother's bangs covering his face again. His cheeks glistened in the dim light and she understood. The boy who never let anyone see what he was truly thinking was letting it out silently. Ururu bent down and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Don't be afraid Naruto. We're all here for you." She whispered in his ear. He nodded, almost imperceptibly. She felt his head relax even more on her lap. He was falling asleep.

When the boy's breathing evened out, Ururu nodded to Jinta and the man picked the boy up. He was surprisingly light for his size. Jinta walked over to Naruto's bedroom and carefully placed him on the bed. A blissful look and replaced his previously anguished one. "Sweet dreams kid." With one last look, Jinta closed the door to Naruto's bedroom, leaving the blonde alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto's Inner World<strong>

As soon as his eyelids had closed, the blonde was pulled into his mindscape. He stood up and walked to the edge of the water. Naruto noticed that the water, though it splashed on the sand, never left behind any water. Tentatively, he scooped some of the golden liquid into his hand and drank. To his shock, it tasted exactly like honey! How was that possible?

_This is your _mind _dumbass, you can change the liquid to whatever you want it to taste like._ The bored and annoyed voice of his conscience came from nowhere. Naruto felt like snarling at the voice.

_Sorry, but if you snarl at me, you're snarling at yourself...so deal with it._

"Damn you." He growled.

_Damning yourself won't do you any good, Naruto."_

Naruto wished that he could block off his thoughts from...himself. Ah jeez! The more he thought about it the more his head hurt. Couple that with all the things he had learned today, well, it was like a massive migrane.

"Well it's about time you came here." A voice from above called down to him.

Naruto's head tilted upwards. "I just fell asleep!" He shouted at his zanpakuto.

"How do you feel?" The royally garbed man asked the blonde.

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's...overwhelming. I mean, for eighty years I didn't know who they were...and now I do. It's kind of surreal actually."

"Yeah yeah...well speaking of surreal, you're here now. So, ready for some training? It'll get rid of all the unwanted emotions that are running through you. You're going to be completely focused here and now."

Naruto was slightly curious. "And how am I going to train exactly?"

The spirit simply waved his hand. All of a sudden, the water turned to ice. Imbedded in the ice were thousands of what looked like sword hilts. "This is your first test. Learning my name is the easy part. All you have to do is pull the real me out, and cry my name. That will be your true initiation as a shinigami. Even a human with a decent amount of reiatsu can produce kido spells. But a shinigami needs a sword. I expect you to pull me out before this night is over. Do you understand?"

Naruto gulped at his sword's tone. "Hai!"

"Now, while you try to find me, I'm going to be throwing random objects at you, to test exactly how much you have trained till now."

"What kind of objects?"

The zanpakuto smirked. "It's a secret."

The blonde shinigami in training didn't like that one bit. However he stepped onto to the ice, testing if it was solid. Thankfully it was.

"What are you waiting for! Come and get me!" The zanpakuto yelled. A bolt of lightning formed in his hand. Naruto paled as it came hurtling towards his. Using his shunpo, he quickly dodged it and began his task. More lightning bolts came at him. Naruto was in a pickle. His concentration was split between dodging the bolts, and finding his zanpakuto. Whenever he tried to grab a hilt, lightning would strike his arm.

It wasn't a fun time for Naruto.

Meanwhile, for his zanpakuto, well, he was a completely different story. The spirit lazily was seated atop a cloud, shooting lightning bolts out of his hands, eyes, feet, really whatever body part he could think of. He watched as his future wielder failed to grab more and more hilts. This wasn't going very well. The spirit sighed. Perhaps this wasn't the best training method. All he really wanted to do was teach Naruto how to focus on two different things at once. But Naruto, though he did have great physique and stamina, was more of an intellectual person rather than one who learned from his body. He curled his hand into a fist, causing all of the lightning bolts to stop.

Naruto froze mid shunpo, wondering why his sadistic zanpakuto had stopped. Said spirit appeared right in front of the blonde and sat down on the ice. "The initial approach that I had in mind for you clearly isn't working. You aren't exactly the kind of person who will learn from experience, but rather the type who learns from a textbook and applies it flawlessly. Now I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but sometimes there will be a situation in which you would adapt to a situation on the fly. So let's take a different approach. How would you find my blade?"

Naruto had been listening intently to his zanpakuto lecture him. He pondered the question that had been asked. "I believe that meditation would work well here. The reason being we are connected. You are my soul incarnate. A part of me is you. Which means that if I meditate deeply enough, I will be drawn to your reiatsu because we are inseparable."

The spirit had to admire the child's intelligence. What he said was true. They were connected, and should Naruto focus deeply enough, he would be able to find his reiatsu. This was adapting on the fly another way. "Why don't you try it then?" He suggested to the blonde.

Naruto gave the man a funny look. "You're not going to shoot lightning at me are you?"

The man chuckled. His slitted golden eyes glinted slightly. "No, not at all. I want you to focus on me, on you, and only those two things. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Sensei!" Naruto replied, enjoying the slight stumble of his zanpakuto at the word sensei.

Naruto sat down cross-legged and placed his hands over his knees, cupping them. He allowed the tendrils on his conscience to push out in every direction, trying to sense his zanpakuto. Hm, that was odd...he sensed no reiatsu coming from any of the hilts. The only other thing that had reiatsu in his mindscape was the being in front of him. Opening his eyes in confusion, Naruto stared at the man. "You...this was a trick wasn't it?"

His spirit grinned. "You really are a genius aren't you? Exactly. It was a trick. None of those blades are me. So where am I? Use that mind of yours to think about the answer."

The blonde's eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. Where was he? The answer to that wasn't concrete. The answer couldn't be that he was right in front of him, it would be too obvious. Naruto glanced around his mindscape. Even though it was his, did he really have control over it? It couldn't be true that the water had tasted like honey because he had willed it to. Honey was the farthest thing in his mind when he drank. No, this was his mind, but not his domain. This was his zanpakuto's domain. The stormy sky, the golden water, the solitary island. Everything...everything was the zanpakuto's. Naruto had merely been a visitor here, he wasn't the ruler. So where was his zanpakuto?

"You _are_ this place. This is your realm. Which means that you are everywhere. Is that correct?" Naruto asked him, confident in the spirit's reply.

The man beamed. "Absolutely! I am everywhere. The sky, the water, even the island. So tell me oh wielder of mine, how will you access me? When will you cry out my name?"

Naruto smirked a very Yoruichi like smirk. "Why don't we spar?"

The spirit did a little double take. "What?"

"I said, why don't we spar." Naruto repeated, standing up and brushing the ice fragments off of him. Instantly, the ice vanished to be replaced by the golden water. However to Naruto's surprise, he didn't fall in, he simply stood on top of it. "What I mean is, even though I've known you for a year, do I really know you? No. So why don't we get to know each other, through our fists?" The blonde suggested to the spirit. He then entered a fighting stance, somewhat based off the _goken_.

"You're not even going to let me have a choice eh? Very well then, let's go!" He yelled, taking the same stance.

In a blur, wielder and sword clashed fists. The impact-a resounding boom. And the two were off, punching and dodging alternatively. The two were doing the exact same things, just in different positions. When one attacked, the other dodged. Naruto thrust his fist upwards, trying to land a blow on the man's face. His spirit easily dodged it and almost punched the boy in the gut. However Naruto recoiled, stumbling slightly. Naruto had to admit, that his spirit was better at him, even by a slight margin. Though neither of them could place a punch or a kick, the zanpakuto was much closer to doing so than Naruto. They were creating waves in the water every time their fists collided.

_Why do you hesitate Naruto?_ His conscience called out to him.

"Huh?" Naruto thought. This was the first time that his conscience had asked him this type of question.

_You aren't attacking him fully. You're pulling your punches. Are you afraid?_

"What! No! Why would I be afraid?" He yelled in his mind, while throwing a punch.

_Are you afraid of hurting him?_

"No! He's stronger than me! Of course not!"

_Then stop pulling punches. Increase your speed. You will learn his name only when you land a hit._

Naruto mentally sighed but nodded. Out loud he yelled, "Alright my friend! I've been holding back on you all this time! It's time to get serious!"

His zanpakuto halted in the middle of a kick. Naruto saw an opportunity when his zanpakuto stopped. In a great burst of speed, faster than before, he started his barrage of attack anew.

"Hmph, it seems as though you finally decided to get serious!" The man grunted when Naruto forced him to dodge a particularly vicious jab.

"So you knew?"

"Of course I knew! I could feel it!"

Naruto increased his speed to the maximum most level it could reach. Lifting his palm forward, he flew towards the man. "Oh yeah? Well then feel this!" The zanpakuto couldn't dodge, Naruto was too fast. The blonde's open palm connected with his spirit's forehead. To both of their surprise, the spirit was not shunted forward, instead Naruto's palm stuck to the flat surface. It was actually quite a funny scene. The man with the reddish-blonde hair was standing stock still on the water. The blonde was frozen in midair, his legs splayed backwards, with his palm attached to the man's forehead.

A golden glow was emitting from Naruto's hand. Naruto realized it was reiatsu. But how could reiatsu be golden? It was usually blue. The golden spiritual energy engulfed both of their figures, creating a halo of light. All of a sudden the spiritual energy compressed and became a beam of golden light that reached up to the sky and beyond. The sky immediately parted, revealing a second blue sky with white clouds. As soon as the reiatsu vanished, so did the clear sky. It remained stormy.

Naruto descended to the water gracefully, his mind blissfully clear. A grin adorned his face and he looked his spirit in the eye. His spirit sported an identical grin, and he looked more relaxed than ever.

"So...does this mean that you know my name?" His zanpakuto asked hopefully.

"I think I've known your name for a long time now. My ears were simply too clouded for me to hear it." Naruto replied, casually stretching out. "Isn't that right, **Rakurai Senpu**?" (Lightning whirlwind)

The spirit didn't say anything, he simply disappeared, part by part, creating a sword as he went. In a minute, the sword was formed. Naruto stared in awe at the blade that was now his completely. It's hilt was golden, with an emblem of a whirlpool on it. The name _Uzumaki_ came to mind immediately. Red strings were wrapped around the the golden handle. Tiny ornate lightning bolts were engraved into the handle as well. Naruto's gaze went up to the blade. It was beautiful, yet ordinary. The blade was a typical katana to the naked eye, yet Naruto could see the power radiating off of his zanpakuto in golden waves. Naruto's reiatsu was blue, while his blade's was golden. This meant that Naruto himself possessed two sets of reiatsu within him, not just his own.

"So your name is Rakurai Senpu eh? No one would think that lightning and whirlwinds would go together. Damn, I'm one messed up person." Naruto softly said aloud.

_Don't insult me Naruto. I'm right here you know. _Came the voice of Rakurai in his head.

"So, are you stuck with me or something?" Naruto asked his blade?

_Kind of, I mean I've been with you since you were born after all. But remember your sister's form and how she drew her sword out? Only in your shinigami form will I be visible. Otherwise I'll be there, but normal people won't see me. You'll still here me though.  
><em>

"I see now. Alright then. So...should I open my eyes now?_"_

His blade paused for a second before responding. _Probably. Your brother and sister are shaking you awake._

"Seriously? Wow, we must have been in there for a long time. So, when I wake up, you'll be there?"

_Obviously. Now just open your eyes!_

Naruto did as his blade commanded. He blinked a couple times before adjusting to his surroundings. He was back in his bed which meant that someone had moved him there. He stared into the worried faces of Ururu and Jinta.

"What happened?" He croaked out. His voice felt like he hadn't used it in ages.

"We came in here when we felt your reiatsu bursting around you in great spurts. What the hell happened?" Jinta demanded.

Naruto grinned and jolted out of the bed. His brother and sister looked at him in surprise when he motioned for them to follow him.

It looked to be the crack of dawn, judging by the color of the sky. "Naruto, what's going on?" Ururu asked gently.

_"_Just watch." He told them.

_You're still there right, Rakurai?_

_Of course I am._

_So, let's do this. How do I draw you out?_

_Say the command, and I am yours to wield._

_The command? Oh right...this is another of those things that should come naturally to me..._

_Exactly, now stop dawdling and do it damn it!_

_"_**Okiro, Rakurai Senpu"** A flash of golden light erupted around Naruto's body as a sword formed in his hand. Ururu and Jinta watched transfixed. The golden light drew them in, like moths to a flame. A couple seconds later, a royal looking katana rested in Naruto's hand. One thing Naruto noticed was that the blade wasn't in its neutral form anymore. The hilt had become black, and the blade had turned golden. It almost looked like a lighting bolt.

"No...no...way! Naruto, you did it!" Jinta yelled, jumping up and down. "Now we can train you in the way of the sword! This is amazing!"

Ururu was still in awe. She couldn't believe it! What kind of training did he do to get to know his zanpakuto so quickly! _"_Naruto...you...you finally did it didn't you?"

Naruto smiled slightly, but his expression fell. "I'm pathetic really. I've known about Rakurai for a year now and it took me so long to figure out his name. Imagine how long it'll take me to train with shikai, let alone bankai!" He moaned.

Jinta clapped him on the shoulder causing him to lose his footing. "Um, Naruto. You do know that the command you said, Okiro, well that's your shikai command. Anyway, bankai is a bit far for you. But before you train with either, first you need to learn how to fight with the sword at least._"_

"Well, the last twenty-four hours have been the most memorable ones of my life. I mean, I learn who my parents are, then I get my zanpakuto. What are the odds?" He asked cheerfully.

"It must be fate or something." Jinta replied dreamily. The two of them spent a long time staring at the now reddish-orange sky. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. It was a good omen. Two good things happening in less than a day was rather unheard of.

_"_C'mon guys, I'll make a celebratory breakfast to commemorate this historical event!" Ururu sang as she waltzed back into the house with Jinta and Naruto in tow.

Happy days were coming ahead. Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end. In the next ten years, the lines between good and evil were going to blur so much, that the distinction was going to be hard to make.

Neither of the three noticed a person watching their little family time. A shadow fell across the lawn as a boy, who looked to be around 17 or 18 descended down from a tree high above. Ichimaru Gin shook his silver bangs out of his face and stared at the small cottage. Now he knew why Aizen wanted him to keep an eye out for this place. Two supposedly dead shinigami and another budding one all resided in this house. Who exactly was this 'Naruto' kid anyway?

Aizen-sama was going to be pleasantly surprised at this new development. Needless to say, life just got a whole lot more interesting.

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><p><strong>So how was it? Please review the story! It's actually the longest chapter that I've written...no flames...just constructive critisicm... oh! and don't forget to vote! The polls will after chapter 5. Chapter 6 will anounce the winner. Next chapter will be an eight year timeskip to the Kyuubi attack. Sorry if it seems really fast paced, I kind of want to have a couple more chapters with time skips, and then to the good stuff...in soul society.<strong>_  
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	5. Prelude to death

**Fifth chapter is here! I'm so sorry for this ridiculous delay! Work and School are so hectic! I swear I will try and update sooner! FORGIVE ME  
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** So someone asked in the last chapter what happens to Hashirama and Nawaki. Well in the third chapter Ichigo says that he gave them a proper soul burial. So they're in Rukongai now. Also, I've changed some things with his sword and stuff...the whole shikai thing. Relax guys, it'll all work out...trust me. **

**Vote via review!  
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**Naru/Rangiku-19 (leaning towards this pairing)  
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**Naru/Karin-7 (I kind of want to make her a cool older sister rather than a love interest, but it's all up to you gakis )  
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**Naru/Senna- 5**

**Naru/Nel-4**

**Naru/Momo-4**

**Naru/Soi Fon-4**

**Naru/Harribel-2**

**Naru/Nemu-2**

**Only two more chapters to vote...so make it count!  
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><p><strong>Eight years later...<strong>

Aizen Sousuke was a heartless bastard, there was no arguing that fact. He was a calculating man, who had the skill to rip apart almost any captain. If it was one good thing that could be said about him, it was that he was a terrific actor. For years, he had played the unassuming vice-captain of the fifth division, seemingly ordinary and kindhearted. Yet this was the farthest from the truth that anyone could have been. Aizen Sousuke's every move was preplanned by him. He never made an unnecessary action. To him, everything was part of the 'plan' that he had. So when Ichimaru Gin had first told him about the shinigami living in the real world named 'Naruto', immediately warning signs flashed in his head. This kid would screw up everything, though he didn't know that yet. He knew that Ururu and Jinta were still alive, yet the boy named Naruto was an enigma. Where did he come from? Who brought him here? And more.

The fact that Ururu and Jinta were not dead troubled him greatly. He had taken great lengths to make sure that they had died, yet it seemed it was not so. Those two, plus this Naruto boy needed to be killed, and fast. However there was one thing he found odd. No matter how many hollows he sent out in that area, they never reached the trio. It was as if someone knew what he was doing and countered his every move. In actuality, he highly doubted anyone knew _exactly_ what he was doing, but he suspected those such as Urahara Kisuke or Kurosaki Isshin were wary of his movements. But still, even those two could not stop every hollow attack in Konoha. This meant that an even higher power was looking over the town, perhaps even Yamamoto himself. If indeed this was true, then that posed several problems for the four-eyed, back stabbing, son of a bitch.

Said man sat in his lair, the location was unknown to all except for those he allowed through. Eight years had passed since he had discovered the existence of Naruto. He still didn't know who the kid was or where he had come from. One thing was sure though, the kid wasn't Ururu or Jinta's.

Aizen growled in frustration as he stared at the screens in front of him that monitored Soul Society as well as the human world. He had tried to see what his three problems were doing at the moment, but to no avail. When he had learned about Naruto's existence, he had immediately had Gin plant a device that would act as a TV screen of some sort. But it seemed as though someone had placed a seal on the house that allowed no one to see what was going on. Naruto was an enigma, and he hated enigmas. The last enigma that he had tried to destroy was Urahara Kisuke. Yet somehow, he had failed to have the man banished or exiled.

Aizen removed the glasses that he used for show. Sighing, he turned the screens off and leaned back in his chair. Today, clearly nothing was going to happen. Why bother?

Oh Aizen, how wrong you are...

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere Near Konoha, Late Afternoon<br>**

He could sense the electricity in the air, swirling about every object in his path like a tornado. Nature herself was bending to his whim and fancy. He fingered one of his insanely long locks, onyx eyes staring out into the nothingness in front of him. He was so close yet so far. Soon though, soon he would have his revenge against that pathetic village. The same village his ancestors and himself had helped create, the same village that had scorned him and the rest of his clan. They were the reason why his brother was dead. It was time to show Konoha _exactly_ what he thought of them.

He let out a small sigh before putting his hands in a two fingered seal causing an orange spiraled mask to pop out of nowhere. Anyone could tell that this man practically _radiated _power and to cross him was suicidal.

He donned the mask, making sure that no unwanted hair stuck out anywhere. His hair was one of his most striking and recognizable features after all.

_Soon,_ he thought. _Soon I will get my revenge for you, my brother, my clan. Mark my words, the clan of Uchiha Madara will continue on in times of great peril. Just wait Konoha...Uchiha Madara is coming for you._

The man's eyes flashed red for a second. Today, Konoha would burn.

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><p><strong>Konoha...same time...the house<strong>

October 10th was a glorious day in the shinigami household. Today was the birth of one known as Urahara-Shihoin Naruto. It was his 88th birthday. The birthday boy was currently in his backyard, training away with his sword, **Rakurai Senpu_. _**In eight years, he had grown quite a bit, both physically and mentally. Over the past eight years, Ichigo had come down about five times to help Naruto with his sword training. He had explained to Naruto about the three forms of the sword: neutral, shikai, and bankai. Naruto remembered that Ichigo's zanpakuto was always in its shikai form from when Jinta and Ururu had first told him he was a shinigami.

Training with his shikai was the first of his priorities. It turns out his shikai command, _okiro_ (awaken) was the same one his father used. Funny how that works. Rakurai had told him about the versatility of his sword. Simply saying the command wasn't enough, you actually had to do something with it. Only in very rare cases did this not happen. Naruto's shikai command changed the shape of his zanpakuto into something that resembled a lightning bolt. It turns out that his sword was capable of creating lightning at whim. It was never exhausted out of the supply of lightning, and Naruto had actually influenced the weather a couple of times, much to his siblings' chagrin. Wind was the second element that his sword possessed. Simply a slash with his blade was capable of creating winds that neared 150 mph. The mystery behind the symbol of a whirlpool mystified him though. Water had never played a part in any of this. The only way water related back to the sword was through the golden ocean in his mind. He recalled the way Rakurai had turned the water into ice when first training him. Perhaps there was a deeper connection.

His parents still didn't have the balls to visit him face to face, though Jinta did say that they came down a couple times a year to see him. Naruto hoped they realized that his parents weren't making it easier for him to forgive them. They were making things worst. He surmised that Ichigo hadn't told them that he knew who they were.

But in a way, that was fine for him. In twelve years he would re-enter the world he was born in so that he could give his parents a piece of his mind. Don't get Naruto wrong here. He did love his parents, but wounds ran very deep. Abandoning a child will obviously leave damage on the kid.

Of course, Yoruichi and Kisuke also understood that their son would most likely want to pummel them to the ground. Ichigo and Isshin had beat that into them. So they decided that it would be best to let _him_ decide what he wanted to do. It would take some time for him to accept being their son, and they would not pressure him.

_This is pointless, Sen. I've mastered this technique ages ago._ Naruto's annoyed voice irritated the sentient being that was his sword.

_Imbecile! You say you've mastered this technique, yet you have yet to prove to me how!_ The sword sent him a sharp jab through their 'shared' mindscape. One of the interesting aspects of their relationship was that the two would always communicate like so. It was very rare for a shinigami to be so in tune with their zanpakuto that they could send emotions through the bond while not being in a shikai or bankai state. Ichigo had told him that his sword talked to him when he was in times of great peril or something like that. _Zangestu_ pulled him into his mind when Ichigo needed to be taught a very important lesson.

_C'mon Sen. Please..._ Sen received a mental image of Naruto pouting. He cringed inwardly. That was so...wrong. The boy was too old to pout for Kami's sake! He was 88 years old, not five! But eventually he relented.

_Fine, but just because it's your birthday...tomorrow, we train double!_

Naruto grinned and let the sword dissolve into spirit particles, feeling content with his ability to debate with sentient beings.

He sauntered back into the house where his siblings were.

Ururu and Jinta gave the boy a nod as he plopped down at the dining table, ready to enjoy the night ahead of him.

He got himself a cup of tea from the pot and stole an onigiri from Jinta's plate, much to his chagrin. Naruto settled down, watching the birds soar through the clear sky.

Today really had been a beautiful day. The weather had been perfect for training, and Naruto had exploited that fact. He had either trained with Jinta or himself.

The trio ate in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Naruto broke it. "I think I'm going to visit Kushina-chan and Minato-kun later tonight. Kushina's having a baby any day now, and it's been a week since my last visit."

His siblings nodded, briefly glancing at him. Those two, Kushina and Minato, held a special place in Naruto's heart. They were like younger siblings, even if physically they looked older.

When Minato had noticed that Naruto wasn't aging, he had pestered the blond until he told Minato his secret. Minato was floored that Naruto was actually a Shinigami who was _much_ older than he was, nearly sixty years. Kushina was also taken into confidence on this subject. She however, had some inkling that Naruto was not human because she had encountered a shinigami by the name of Kuchiki Rukia when her mother had died. Kushina had the ability to see what the normal shinobi couldn't, something rare among shinobi as they had little to no spiritual energy. Apparently this Rukia was a _very_ good 'friend' of Ichigo according to Jinta.

Still, Kushina was taken aback by Naruto. He still only looked to be twelve while they were in their late twenties. When they were both younger, Naruto was their 'nii-chan'. They stopped calling him that a long time ago.

He had been sad at first, because Minato had been the first person to call _him_ big brother rather than the other way around. But he realized that it would be ridiculous for someone who looked double your age to refer to you as a big brother. That didn't mean that Naruto didn't scold those two the same way a big brother would, or that he didn't threaten Minato with castration if he ever treated Kushina wrong. It was the only thing he could do.

Minato and Kushina had gotten married a year back when both were thirty one. Naruto had attended as a civilian. They had a private party for themselves later on, just the three of them. It was nearly crashed by a certain drunk Toad Sennin, but luckily, Tsunade was there to stop him.

The three of them got together every week for Ramen. The owner of the shop, Ichiraku, had very bluntly asked Naruto why he didn't age, and Naruto had told him the truth. The man was delighted that he was acquaintances with a real Shinigami! Naruto was pleasantly surprised to learn that his daughter, Ayame, was named because of the Iris Flower that Naruto had given the man all those years back.

It also turned out that Ayame had a very unique gift that was slightly different than Kushina's. She could sense and see auras around people. Each aura, according to her, varied from person to person, but there was a certain commonality that humans had. Ayame immediately noted that Naruto's aura was not like everyone's at all, not even like the Hokage's His aura felt too...untainted to her. She, being three years of age, deduced that Naruto was something like an angel because his aura was so golden, purer than anyone's she had seen, except that of a newborn child's.

Only three adults and one child knew exactly who Naruto was, and they would carry his secret to the grave.

Kushina had even decided that if the baby was a boy, then his name would be Naruto as well.

If it was a girl, the name would be Mito, after her great grand aunt and the wife of Hashirama, the man who Ichigo had sent off to Rukongai along with Nawaki.

A hand on Naruto's shoulder made him look up. Jinta's warm eyes bore into his own, a mischievous grin on his handsome face.

"Naaruuttoo!" He sang.

The man child grimaced. He knew that tone. It was the tone that Jinta used when he was in a particularly good mood, or the one he used when he knew that he was about to do something that other people would consider borderline insane. And if you lived with Ururu, these things that he did were inviting a painful death...that involved the slow castration of manly parts coupled with a woman's insane laughter.

No, this wasn't a lie. Naruto still had nightmares of Ururu chasing Jinta around the house with her Zanpakuto in its Shikai state, her high pitched, cruel laugh echoing through the cottage after he had shredded a pair of her favorite panties.

He still had no idea how Jinta had managed to do that... and he didn't want to find out.

"Nani, nii-chan?" He asked with apprehension.

Jinta waggled his eyebrows at the blond. "Well, you're sister and decided that since today _is _your birthday...and _we are_ your brother and sister, why don't we all go into town together? It's been some time since we've done things like a family you know?"

Naruto broke out into a smile. It had been a long time since they had all gone out togetjer. Today was a welcome change to being alone in town. "I quite like that idea!" He exclaimed. "You two can even meet Minato and Kushina properly!"

"Indeed we can, Naru-chan!" Ururu agreed. She had just finished her breakfast and put the dirty dishes in the sink. "You mentioned that Kushina-san is pregnant and that her baby will come any day. She will likely need much help. I would be happy to give it to her."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, she's going to need it. Minato said that her pregnancy would be very difficult." His eyes shown with sadness for the girl he had come to care for in the past two decades as a sister.

"Oh, and why is that?" Jinta asked, popping the last onigiri into his mouth.

Naruto sighed. "Her tale is one of intrigue and sadness. I don't know if it's my place to tell it, but she wouldn't mind if I did. It's not like you would go about blabbing it the entire world."

Now his two siblings were interested. they never got caught up in _human_ affairs too much, but this was an exception. Both of them dragged the boy off to the sitting room and they themselves became quite comfortable.

He looked at them, amused. "Kami, I didn't expect you both to be the gossipy-type!"

Ururu huffed and smoothed her pin straight pig-tails. "We're not. We haven't any juicy information about humans in a while. We'll take what we can get."

Naruto laughed and made himself comfortable as well. "Alright. Well, I suppose I should start with her history. Kushina was from the former Whirlpool Country, hence her last name of Uzumaki. The Uzumaki Clan and Senju Clan, the founding Clan of this village were distantly related, and that relation was made even closer by Uzumaki Mito marrying Senju Hashirama, the first Hokage of the Fire Country. Mito-sama was Kushina's great grand-aunt. I don't know if you remember a terrible fight that occurred here, between someone named Uchiha Madara and Hashirama, but it happened some seventy years ago. In that fight, Uchiha Madara summoned something known as a Bijuu, or tailed beast. Madara summoned the Kyuubi no Yoko, or Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-tailed Fox, strongest of all the Bijuu."

At this, both Ururu and Jinta paled and shot covert glances at each other. THE TAILED BEASTS? Kami above. Naruto didn't notice and kept on going.

"Anyway, because Mito-sama belonged to the Uzumaki Clan that was known for its _Fuinjutsu_ and long life, came up with a seal to place the Nine-tailed fox within herself. They lived for a very long time, Mito-sama more than Hashirama. When Mito figured out that she was dying, she needed to find a new host for the Kyuubi. The host needed to be someone of Uzumaki descent because only they would survive the painful process of the sealing. And who better than Kushina herself, Mito's direct relative? Kushina was brought to Konoha after Whirlpool was destroyed for this soul purpose. The Kyuubi was sealed in her, and Mito died a couple months after the transfer. It was some time afterward that she met Minato. She even proclaimed that she was going to be the first female Hokage..."

Jinta gripped the side of his seat. Why didn't they look into human affairs sooner? This was beyond anything they had imagined...

Naruto chuckled as he was hit by a memory of a fiery red-headed girl chasing a blond boy who looked very much like him with a loaf of stale bread, threatening to make mincemeat out of him for calling her a TOMATO. "It took some time for them to fall in love, but anyone could see how infatuated he was with her and vice versa. They started going out when they were seventeen. Ten years after that, Minato had his own team, was being called _Konoha no Kiroii Senko_, and well on his way to becoming the youngest Hokage in history. Kushina too was one of the most powerful Kunoichi in Konoha. She was head of the ANBU- that's _Ansastsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, _Konoha's Black Ops. It deals with Assassination and Tactical support. Them getting married and having a child is the most wonderful part of it all."

The blond looked expectantly up at his siblings only to see that their faces were drawn and white. They looked like they had just seen a ghost.

"What's wrong guys? Is everything okay..." He asked concernedly. The expressions on his siblings faces were not what he had expected.

Jinta took a shuddering breath that was supposed to calm him down. Normally, he couldn't have cared less, but this was different. _The Tailed Beasts_ themselves...who would have thought! In Soul Society these beings were something akin to Gods. Why did humans have them? And why were _Gods _sealed in mere mortals?

Ururu hesitated before talking. "Naruto...the information that you just told us...it's a very big shock." At the boy's blank face, she went on. "Ever since we were children and went to the Academy, we were taught about the Bijuu. In our society, the Bijuu are said to be on the same level as Kami himself because it was Kami who created them. Legend has it that he made one being, known to humans and us as the Rikudo Sennin or Sage of the Six Paths. He was the one who harnessed the power of the Bijuu. But the power was overwhelming to this universe. Earth was not capable of sustaining his power output. The polarity of the Earth was changing because of him. So, with the assistance of Kami, he split his powers in nine. And these masses of energy became known as the Bijuu. Each Bijuu took on the shape of an animal. Shukaku was the One tailed Raccoon. The Nibi was a Nekotama and so on until it reached the Kyuubi, the Nine-tailed Demon Fox. For your friend Kushina to have such a magnificent being sealed in her...well, she is practically the vessel of Kami on Earth whether she knows it or not!"

Naruto gaped at Ururu. He had never heard this before! "Seriously? So that means that the Uzumaki and Senju Clans must be descended from the Rikudo Sennin. If what you say is true, then only their bodies will be able to sustain the Bijuu. In fact, I think I'm right. You see, the Senju Clan's Leader, Hashirama had a special ability to use Mokuton Jutsus. Kushina told me some time back that those of Senju ancestry, especially with the Mokuton were capable of restraining the Bijuu. In the fight between Uchiha Madara and Hashirama, the Uchiha summoned the Kyuubi. I believe that using his Wood Release Kekkei Genkai (bloodline) Hashirama was able to halt the Kyuubi long enough for Mito to seal it in her body. If my logic is correct, then the Uchiha must also be descended from the Sennin. The Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai is known as the Sharingan, and it lets them copy essentially non-bloodline based movement. It also can control someone using highly powerful illusions. This Madara fellow controlled the Kyuubi in that way, through his illusions. Kushina is genetically predisposed to controlling the Kyuubi from her Senju and Uzumaki relations."

Naruto was in full 'Kisuke' mode right now. This meant in full lecture mode right now, just spewing out conclusions from a given premise. He was putting _his_ genetically predisposed analytical mind to work. There was just one thing that was bothering him...

"Ne, Kushina always told time that the Kyuubi was a malevolent creature that threatened to 'rip her to shreds' when she gained full control of him. If he is a God, then why does he act so...so...jerkish?"

"Jerkish?" Jinta asked teasingly. "For the son of the smartest man in Seireitei, you use the word 'jerkish'?"

Naruto flushed but stared at his brother defiantly. "What's it to you? The meaning was still the same wasn't it? You could still understand me so just answer the damn question!"

"No need to get all pissy on me Naruto..." Jinta muttered.

"Pissy...honestly nii-chan, you've lived with _me_ for eighty-eight years and you use the word 'pissy?'" Naruto snickered at his brother's face. It was nearly as red as his hair.

Before Jinta could retort, Ururu slapped him upside the head. He clutched his throbbing head and glared at Ururu. "What was that for?"

"Shut up! Both of you! Your conversation has NOTHING to do with Naruto's question. It was you who started this so I slapped you!" She threw her hands up in the air. "Honestly!" When none of her boys said anything, she continued. "Naruto, if you were a God, would you honestly like being sealed in a human?"

The blond shook his head.

"Then if you were supposedly the most powerful being in the world, would you want to be controlled by a mere _human_?"

Another shake.

"Well then, that answers your question. He's obviously grumpy from being held captive by humans for so long."

"But how do humans have the power to subdue him?"

"You said it yourself Naruto. They are descended from the Rikudo Sennin. That man or being was a God himself. By blood, these people are more than humans. That's why they have this ability. The trait to control these beings is stronger in some than others. Some may not even have the ability."

A thoughtful silence fell over the family. It seemed as though humans were not quite as 'humany' as they seemed. Naruto still had a lot to learn about the human world, and this was his chance to do so.

_Really Naruto? Humany? _His sword decided to speak now.

_Not you too! It's my birthday...just give me a break!_

_Hmm, maybe later then..._

"Well, this chat has been most enlightening. I'll ask Kushina more about it today. Maybe she has other information. When can we go into the village?" He really wanted to see the humans who had become family in twenty five years.

Jinta smiled. "How about in two or three hours? It's only around 10:00. Anyway, we have something to give you...and now's a great time to gift it to you." He grabbed hold of Naruto's arm and literally dragged the boy out of the room before he could even respond.

A second later (because of Shunpo) all three of them were in the backyard with Jinta covering his eyes.

"What's wrong with you people?" He asked in exasperation. He didn't like being kept in suspense too much.

"Alright Jinta, take your hands off of him!" He heard Ururu's voice. The pressure on his eyes was lifted. In front of him stood his brother and sister, holding a pair of dark black robes. His eyes widened. Was that what he thought it was?

"You...this...i mean..."

Ururu grinned. "See Jinta, I told you he would be struck speechless!"

His face was a mirror image of her own. "Do you like your gift?"

The question didn't need to be asked because Naruto's face described all of his emotions. Now, you may be asking yourself, what eighty-eight year old respectable shinigami would enjoy receiving _clothes_ for his birthday? Luckily, Naruto wasn't the average shinigami, and these weren't average clothes. These were the robes of a true shinigami, the robes that Ururu and Jinta wore in their shinigami avatar. This was the mark of a shinigami.

The two of them were tackled by an ecstatic Naruto. "Thank you thank you thank you!" He chanted over and over again. Without another word, he grabbed the robes and shunpoed back to the house to put the robes on.

A couple seconds later, he was back, in full shinigami mode, sword and all.

Jinta whistled while Ururu, being a woman who was also PMS-ing at the moment, had tears in her eyes. Both of them thought that Naruto looked exactly like Kisuke did when he was younger and starting off at the academy. The only thing different was the hairstyle.

His robes complemented his tan skin, and enhanced the whisker marks on his cheeks. The sword that he so dearly treasured was in its sheath by his hip. The Shihoin and Urahara emblems rested on either shoulder. The two of them had specifically requested to Yoruichi and Kisuke to have these robes manufactured for the boy through Ichigo.

"They were made for you by your parents." Jinta stated softly.

Naruto froze. His _parents_ had made these for him, his first _real_ gift from them. He looked to his shoulders. He recognized the Shihoin emblem immediately, fingering the medallion that was still around his neck. That meant the other one was the Urahara insignia. His reiatsu flared slightly, adhering to his emotional state. "They couldn't have given this themselves I suppose." Naruto's tone was bitter. Eighty-eight years, in eighty-eight years he had seen neither hide nor hair of his parents, yet they seemed to visit him every so often. Would it kill them to actually stick around next time?

A glance was exchanged between the two older shinigami. "Naruto...you have every right to be downright evil to them. But...but when you do meet them, just please give them a chance. They...they're scared Naruto. They're scared of what you might think of them, they're scared if you will abandon them just like they did to you. Hear them out...please. You don't have to like what they say, just listen. They love you, more than you will ever know. And it's because of that love that Yoruichi-taichou gave you to us." Ururu said gently, putting a hand on his his head, ruffling his hair slightly.

The boy said nothing but Ururu could see that his eyes glistened with the emotions he refused to let out.

"Do you hate them now?" Jinta asked.

That question seemed to unbind the boy from whatever unseen force that had frozen him. "No. I don't. I love them. At least I know that they actually care." Without another word, he turned on his heel and vanished in a flash, no doubt to his room, where he could truly ponder the issues that had bothered him so.

Jinta sighed. "We never even gave him our present." From his pocket, he pulled a book out. The title of it was _The Tales of an Utterly Gutsy Ninja_ by Jiraiya, Konoha's Toad Sage. "The main character is named Naruto as well. He would have enjoyed it a lot." A somber expression was on the red haired shinigami's face.

"Give him time Jinta. He's been through quite a bit. Knowing that his mother abandoned him, and never showed him her face is...painful." Ururu said, grabbing his hand.

The two of them silently made their way back to the house, thinking about their blond brother.

* * *

><p>In his room, Naruto had changed back into his usual outfit, the black robes on his bed. He wanted to burn them, but he didn't as well. He really did love them. It made him feel like a true shinigami, and not just some 'wannabe' version. He had always admired Jinta and Ururu's robes, and was very envious of them. Now, he could finally look like them, but there was no satisfaction that came with it. He felt hollow.<p>

Just one time, just once he wanted to see the faces of those who had conceived him, and then he could die happy. Not even a decade ago he had FINALLY learned his parents names. What child doesn't know their own parents names for eight decades...Naruto didn't.

This was just getting too ridiculous. Ururu and Jinta, and even Ichigo were better 'parents' then his own were. When he was younger, he had longed to call Ururu and Jinta 'Kaa-chan and Tou-chan.' But he didn't in fear of what they would say. Now, it would sound odd to call them Mom and Dad.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Naru-chan. Do you want to talk?" Ururu's voice was slightly muffled because of the closed door.

Naruto scowled at the door. "No thanks nee-chan. I'll come out when I want to. I'm sorry for acting like a baby...but please, just leave me alone." He heard some shuffling at the door as well as Jinta saying something to Ururu, but in a couple moments it was gone. Their reiatsu was getting farther away from his door.

He let out a breath. Naruto knew that they meant well, and he knew that he was over reacting, but he couldn't help it. Sometimes he wanted to act like a child...let it all out...throw a tantrum. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

The boy scowled. This wasn't how he pictured his birthday to go. If he didn't make such a big deal out of it, it would have been fine. It wasn't though, and it wouldn't be for a long time. His parents were going to be in deep shit when he saw them. Naruto was like his mother in that regard, quick to remember, hard to forgive.

_Stop thinking so hard gaki, you might burst a vessel._ Sen cut in Naruto's thoughts.

His scowl widened. He cursed his soul sometimes. _Honestly Sen, I thought you were going to leave me alone today._

_Sorry Naruto, but it seems like you could need some company. So...here I am!_ Naruto got this mental image of Sen giving him a double thumbs up.

The blond sighed once more and plopped down on the bed, now flat on his back. _Thanks I guess._

_It's my pleasure._ The zanpakuto replied.

The two were immersed in a comfortable silence for some time. Naruto liked this, the silence that it. It was calming, and he regained his mind somewhat. "You know something Sen, even though I'm fucking pissed at them, I just want to meet them so bad. Then of course, I want to see them suffer for a while..." Naruto said this aloud, not bothering to communicate through their link.

Sen, in Naruto's mindscape gave a feral grin. His crimson hair glinted by some unseen light from the perpetually gray sky. _Seriously gaki, you are one messed up little man-child._

_Why do you keep calling me that? It's annoying!_

_Can you think of no reason? You are older than any human in that village of yours but physically you look like a twelve or thirteen year old boy. Hence the name 'man-child.'_

Naruto chuckled and got up off the bed. His mood was much better than it was when he had entered his room. "Yosh! I'll tell Nee-chan and Nii-chan that I'm ready to go to the village now!"

Just as he was turning the door, a shiver passed through him. He paused, perplexed by the odd chill permeating through the atmosphere. However, he shook his head and disregarded it, scampering off to find his brother and sister.

* * *

><p>On the outskirts of Konoha, the man with the spiraling orange mask grinned. He could feel it, that deliciously cold feeling that surrounded him. Just a couple more minutes...just some more time, and it would be gone.<p>

A clone of his relayed the information that he wanted to hear for so long. The Uzumaki was undergoing labor. The seal was weak.

It was time.

With one deep breath, he vanished leaving only a wisp of darkness behind him.

* * *

><p>Minato was in full panic mode. Biwako, Sarutobi's wife along with a couple of ANBU guarded the prone form of his wife who looked to be in severe pain. He himself was in excruciating agony at the moment, not because he felt empathy for his wife, but because said woman was crushing all the bones in his hand with his monstrous strength.<p>

"Minato!" Biwako cried. "It's time!"

Oh Kakashi would really pay to see his normally cool and collected Sensei in this mode. Minato was frozen. His baby was coming, his _son_. Oh Kami, this was not the time for a meltdown. He wished Naruto was here, it would have made things so much easier.

"MINATO! YOU WILL CONTROL THIS SEAL ON MY DAMNED STOMACH OR I'LL KILL YOU!" Kushina screamed. So much for Biwako's warning of being quiet.

With that, Minato shook out of his stupor and placed a palm on his wife's stomach, using Uzumaki Fuiinjutsu to keep the Seal stable. The most vulnerable time for a Jinchuriki was when they were giving birth after all.

Kushina let out another long wail of pain causing Minato to wince and lose his focus.

"Minato! I know you're worried about her, but please, do your job! There's a reason why Kami chose women to give birth and not men, they're made of sterner stuff than a man ever could be!" Biwako chastised the soon-to-be father.

He nodded and renewed his concentration on the black seal. His heart twanged every time Kushina screamed in agony. As hard as he tried to concentrate, it was too damn painful for his wife to be in pain while he only helplessly watched.

"One last push Kushina, come on, you can do it." Biwako could see the head of an already blond baby.

Kushina panted from the pain and stress. Her hair was lank and hung loosely by the side of her face. All she wanted to see was the beautiful angelic face of her son, her _Naruto_.

In typical Uzumaki style, she let out an Earth Shattering scream that vibrated off of the surrounding mountains as she gave the most epic push she could muster. And it was exactly the last push that Biwako needed.

Namikaze Naruto had arrived.

For one second, it seemed as though everything had stilled. And then it came. A baby's wails permeated through the open air.

Minato slumped, his hand still over Kushina's stomach, tears of joy pouring down his face. He turned his face to the rapidly dimming sky and thanked whatever God was there. He was a father now...an actual father! He had created that little child that was nestled in Biwako's arms.

"Naruto...give him to me please." Kushina croaked, thoroughly swamped.

Biwako complied and handed the child to the new mother whose face, although tired, was filled with love and pure happiness. Kushina gasped as the warmth of her baby filled her arms. She had done it, she had given birth...and wasn't planning on doing it again anytime soon. It had bloody hurt! But it was worth it. To see this angelic face, to hold that tiny body, it was worth all the pain in the world.

A pair of lips descended over hers in a feather light kiss. Minato. The man she loved the most in the world...well second most. Naruto was the first. Oh Kami. She was a mom! The enormity of that thought sunk in. She was sure that Minato was going through the same thing in his own way.

She looked up into the cerulean eyes of said man. They glistened with the tears that wouldn't fall. There was so much raw emotion in those eyes, she felt as though it was overwhelming her. In that moment, the baby's eyes opened as well. Both parents stared in shock at the child. His eyes were so vivid, so clear, so untainted. Their color was the same as Minato's, vibrant blue.

Biwako smiled at the new family. It was heartwarming to see such pride shimmering behind the parents eyes. Their Hokage now had an heir, and the child was the heir to one of the most respected and feared families in all of the elemental nations.

Minato and Kushina were completely oblivious to the world outside of them. So oblivious that they didn't sense or hear the bodies of those who guarded them crumple to the ground. Biwako's scream died in her throat as she saw the masked man run his sword through her fragile body. The last thing she could see was the swirling red ominous color of that damned Sharingan eye.

Uchiha Madara smirked cruelly at the 'happy' family in front of him. It was time.

"Hello Minato, we meet at last."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm ending the chapter there...I know that I'm evil...<strong>


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